U.S. patent application number 12/822742 was filed with the patent office on 2011-12-01 for variable adjustable door latch.
This patent application is currently assigned to ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.. Invention is credited to Michael N. Burdenko.
Application Number | 20110291848 12/822742 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44800398 |
Filed Date | 2011-12-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110291848 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Burdenko; Michael N. |
December 1, 2011 |
VARIABLE ADJUSTABLE DOOR LATCH
Abstract
Systems, methods, and devices that efficiently stop and latch a
door are presented. A first bracket component is attached to a door
frame and has an overhang portion, comprising a holder component,
that extends into the doorway to act as a door stop. A second
bracket component, comprising an extended portion, is desirably
adjusted in position in relation to the holder component and
attached to the door such that the extended portion has a desired
amount of overlap on the holder component, wherein the amount of
overlap corresponds to an amount of latching force in accordance
with the force profile associated with the extended portion based
at least in part on shape of the extended portion. An operation
device is attached to the first bracket component and/or second
bracket component and the door latching holds the door in the
desired position to facilitate operations of the operation
component.
Inventors: |
Burdenko; Michael N.;
(Wellesley Hills, MA) |
Assignee: |
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES,
INC.
Mayfield Heights
OH
|
Family ID: |
44800398 |
Appl. No.: |
12/822742 |
Filed: |
June 24, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12789989 |
May 28, 2010 |
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12822742 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
340/665 ; 29/428;
292/251.5; 292/341.18 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05C 19/16 20130101;
Y10T 292/17 20150401; E05Y 2201/246 20130101; Y10T 29/49826
20150115; Y10T 292/705 20150401; E05B 17/22 20130101; E05Y 2201/462
20130101; E05B 15/0245 20130101; E05B 2047/0094 20130101; E05B
2047/0067 20130101; E05B 47/02 20130101; Y10T 292/11 20150401; E05B
2047/0068 20130101; E05G 1/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
340/665 ;
292/341.18; 292/251.5; 29/428 |
International
Class: |
G08B 21/00 20060101
G08B021/00; E05C 19/16 20060101 E05C019/16; B23P 11/00 20060101
B23P011/00; E05B 15/02 20060101 E05B015/02 |
Claims
1. A system that facilitates latching a door, comprising: a first
bracket component that is configured to have an overhang portion
that extends into a doorway when the first bracket component is
attached to a door frame and at least one recessed area formed in
the overhang portion; and a second bracket component that is
configured to be attached to the door and to have an extended
portion that extends out from a main portion of the second bracket
component, and is further configured to be adjustable in position
in relation to the first bracket component to correspondingly
adjust an amount of overlap of the extended portion over the at
least one recessed area when in a latched state to adjust an amount
of force applied to one of the extended portion or the at least one
recessed area by a holder component attached to the other of the
extended portion or the at least one recessed area in accordance
with a force profile associated with at least one of the extended
portion, the at least one recessed area, or the holder
component.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the force profile is based at
least in part on at least one of shape of at least one of the
extended portion, the at least one recessed area, or the holder
component; size of at least one of the extended portion, the at
least one recessed area, or the holder component; or one or more
materials of which at least one of the extended portion, the at
least one recessed area, or the holder component is formed.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one of the extended portion
or the at least one recessed area is configured to have a
rectangular or square shape that results in the force profile being
linear or substantially linear such that adjustment of the amount
of overlap of the one of the extended portion or the at least one
recessed area on the holder component results in a corresponding
linear or substantially linear change in the amount of the force
applied to the one of the extended portion or the at least one
recessed area.
4. The system of claim 2, wherein the one of the extended portion
or the at least one recessed area is configured to have at least
one of a rounded shape, a triangular shape, or other
non-rectangular or non-square shape that results in the force
profile being non-linear such that adjustment of the amount of
overlap of the one of the extended portion or the at least one
recessed area on the holder component results in a corresponding
non-linear change in the amount of the force applied to the one of
the extended portion or the at least one recessed area.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising: the holder component
that is configured to be inserted or attached to the other of the
extended portion or the at least one recessed area, wherein the
holder component is further configured to contain at least one of a
permanent magnet that produces an attractive magnetic force, at
least one vacuum cup that produces a suction force when in contact
with the at least one of the extended portion or the at least one
recessed area, a Velcro liner that provides a holding force when in
contact with a Velcro receptor associated with the at least one of
the extended portion or the at least one recessed area, or an
electromagnetic component that can generate and apply an attractive
electromagnetic force.
6. The system of claim 1, further comprising: at least one
operation device that is configured to be attached to at least one
of the first bracket component or the second bracket component and
further configured to perform at least one operation, wherein the
at least one operation device comprising at least one of a lock, a
sensor, or a switch.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one operation device
is the lock comprising a solenoid actuator, which is associated
with a lock pin and is attached to the first bracket component, and
a lock receptacle, which is attached to the second bracket
component, wherein position of the lock pin and position of a hole
in the lock receptacle are aligned such that the lock pin is able
to engage the hole to lock the door when the door is latched in a
predefined locational position.
8. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a sensor component
that is configured to monitor and detect at least one of a magnetic
state of the one of the extended portion or the at least one
recessed area, or the amount of the force applied to the one of the
extended portion or the at least one recessed area, and is further
configured to transmit a signal indicating at least one of the one
of the extended portion or the at least one recessed area is in an
unmagnetized state, the one of the extended portion or the at least
one recessed area is in a magnetized state, or the amount of force
applied to the one of the extended portion or the at least one
recessed area, to facilitate determining whether the one of the
extended portion or the at least one recessed area is properly
latched to the holder component.
9. The system of claim 8, further comprising: a remote operation
system that is configured to identify at least one of the whether
the one of the extended portion or the at least one recessed area
is in the unmagnetized state, whether the one of the extended
portion or the at least one recessed area is in the magnetized
state, or the amount of the force applied to the one of the
extended portion or the at least one recessed area by the holder
component.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote operation system is
further configured to generate and transmit at least one of a
maintenance ticket that indicates there is a defect in the latching
of the door or a defect indicator to facilitate presentation of at
least one of a visual indicator or an audio indicator that
indicates there is a defect in the latching of the door.
11. A method for latching a door, comprising: controlling an amount
of overlap of an extended portion of a second bracket component on
a surface of a recessed area associated with a first bracket
component to facilitate obtaining a specified amount of latching
force between one of the extended portion or the recessed area, and
a holder component associated with the other of the extended
portion or the recessed area to hold the door associated with the
extended portion in a predefined locational position in relation to
an associated door frame when the door is in a closed position; and
applying the specified amount of latching force to the one of the
extended portion or the recessed area to hold the one of the
extended portion or the recessed area, and the door in the
predefined locational position when the extended portion is placed
in the closed position.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: forming at least
one of the extended portion, the recessed area, or the holder
component in a respective specified shape to obtain a desired force
profile to facilitate obtaining the specified amount of latching
force.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the respective specified shape
is one of a rectangular shape or a square shape that results in the
force profile being linear or substantially linear such that
adjustment of the amount of overlap of the one of the extended
portion or the recessed area on the holder component results in a
corresponding linear or substantially linear change in amount of
latching force applied to the one of the extended portion or the
recessed area.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the respective specified shape
is at least one of a rounded shape, a triangular shape, or another
non-rectangular or non-square shape that results in the force
profile being non-linear such that adjustment of the amount of
overlap of the one of the extended portion or the recessed area on
the holder component results in a corresponding non-linear change
in amount of latching force applied to the one of the extended
portion or the recessed area.
15. The method of claim 11, further comprising: adjusting the
second bracket component in relation to at least one of the first
bracket component or a portion of an operation device attached to
the second bracket component to facilitate the controlling of the
amount of overlap of the one of the extended portion or the
recessed area on a surface of the holder component.
16. The method of claim 11, further comprising: monitoring at least
one of a magnetized state of the one of the extended portion or the
recessed area, or an amount of latching force applied to the one of
the extended portion or the recessed area; detecting the at least
one of the magnetized state of the one of the extended portion or
the recessed area, or the amount of latching force applied to the
one of the extended portion or the recessed area; and at least one
of: transmitting a proper-latch signal when the amount of latching
force is at or above a predefined minimum threshold latching force
level, transmitting a defective-latch signal when the amount of
latching force is below the predefined minimum threshold latching
force level, but is above a predefined threshold force level
indicative of the door being in an open position, or transmitting
an unlatched signal when the amount of latching force is at or
below the predefined threshold force level indicative of the door
being in the open position.
17. The method of claim 11, further comprising: stopping the door
using an overhang portion of the first bracket component, when the
extended portion and the door associated therewith are moved from
an open position to the closed position, in response to the
extended portion coming into contact with the overhang portion,
wherein the overhang portion extends outward into a doorway
associated with the door frame; and absorbing at least a portion of
impact associated with the extended portion coming into contact
with the overhang portion to facilitate reducing an amount of
impact on an operation device attached to the first bracket
component.
18. A method for constructing a door latch, comprising: forming a
door frame bracket with a recessed area to facilitate latching a
door in a closed position in relation to a door frame when the door
frame bracket is attached to the door frame; and forming a door
bracket to include a tongue portion that extends out from a main
body of the door bracket, wherein at least one of the tongue
portion or the recessed area is formed of a ferromagnetic material
and is attracted to and held by a force applied by a holder
component on one of the tongue portion or the recessed area wherein
the holder component is attached to the other of the tongue portion
or the recessed area, and wherein the force applied is in
accordance with a force profile and based at least in part on an
amount of overlap of the one of the tongue portion or the recessed
area on the holder component when in a latched position, to latch
the door when the door bracket is attached to the door and the door
is in the closed position.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: forming at least
one of the tongue portion, the recessed area, or the holder
component into a respective specified shape to obtain a
corresponding specified force profile, wherein the respective
specified shape is one of a square shape, a rectangular shape, an
at least partially rounded shape, a triangular shape, or an
irregular shape; and forming one or more screw guides having an
oblong shape into the door bracket to facilitate at least attaching
the door bracket to the door, wherein the oblong shape facilitates
adjusting position of the one of the tongue portion or the recessed
area in relation to the holder component to facilitate adjusting
the amount of overlap of the one of the tongue portion or the
recessed area on the holder component.
20. The method of claim 18, further comprising: forming the door
frame bracket to include an overhang portion that extends out into
a doorway when the door frame bracket is attached to a door frame
to facilitate stopping a door associated with the door frame.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND CLAIM FOR PRIORITY
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims the
benefit of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/789,989,
filed on May 28, 2010, entitled "Efficient And Safe Door Locking
Control In Power-Off And Power-On Conditions", the entirety of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The subject specification relates generally to door latches,
and in particular to variable adjustable door latches.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Certain areas (e.g., rooms, secured production areas, etc.)
can be accessed via a door (e.g., swinging door, sliding door,
etc.), wherein, as desired, a particular defined physical area can
be secured by employing a lock, a sensor, and/or other device on
the door to the defined physical area. For example, an
electromagnetic lock can be used to lock a door to a defined
physical area, where the defined physical area can be used, for
example, for storage of product, for production line operations,
etc. Often, it can be desirable to be able to latch the door to
hold the door in a desired position (e.g., closed position) in
relation to the door frame, where, for example, the door can then
be locked to facilitate securing the defined physical area.
[0004] One type of conventional door latch accomplishes latching of
the door by using an electromagnet with variable current. Certain
issues can arise when using such conventional door latches. For
instance, such a conventional door latch consumes energy while
producing the latching. Also, a loss of power creates a loss of
latching by such door latch. Due in part to these drawbacks, such
conventional door latches may not be suitable and/or may not be
allowed in certain applications, such as some safety applications,
for example. Another type of conventional door latch accomplishes
latching of the door using a permanent magnet, wherein the magnet
is integrated with the lock. With this type of conventional door
latch, it is not possible to vary the latching conditions without
degrading the locking quality of the lock (e.g., safety lock).
Also, some conventional door latches are integrated with door
stops, wherein such door latches may allow for some adjustment.
However, such conventional door latches do not allow for adjustment
of the door latch while at the same time allowing for predictable
and desirable force profile settings.
[0005] It is desirable to be able to hold or latch a door in a
desired locational position (e.g., closed position) in relation to
a door frame with a desired amount of force without consuming power
to produce the force, while, for example, a safety switch or safety
lock associated with the door is activated, and at the same time,
providing a stop for the door. It also is desirable to be able to
intelligently adjust the amount of latching force used to hold the
door in the desired locational position. It is further desirable to
reduce or minimize shock to a device, such as a lock, sensor, or
switch, attached to the door frame (or door), during closing of the
door, to facilitate reducing or minimizing harm to or operational
problems with such device.
SUMMARY
[0006] The following discloses a simplified summary of the
specification in order to provide a basic understanding of some
aspects of the specification. This summary is not an extensive
overview of the specification. It is intended to neither identify
key or critical elements of the specification nor delineate the
scope of the specification. Its sole purpose is to disclose some
concepts of the specification in a simplified form as a prelude to
the more detailed description that is disclosed later.
[0007] Systems, methods, and devices that can efficiently employ a
power efficient door latch/door stop arrangement are presented. In
an aspect, a door latch/door stop system can comprise a first
bracket component (e.g., door frame bracket component) that can be
attached to a door frame, and a second bracket component (e.g.,
door bracket component) that can be attached to a door (e.g.,
swinging door, sliding door, etc.) associated with the door frame.
In an aspect, the first bracket component and/or second bracket
component can be made from a desired material(s), such as a
ferromagnetic material(s), which can be attracted to a magnetic
force when applied thereto, although accordance with other
embodiments, another desired material(s) can be employed. The first
bracket component can be have a desired shape (e.g., rectangular,
square, etc.) and size, wherein, for example, the first bracket
component can be desirably attached to the door frame and be large
enough in size such that a desired portion of the first bracket
component can overhang beyond the door frame and into the doorway
so that the first bracket component can be employed, in part, as a
door stop and door latching mechanism for the door, which can be
associated with (e.g., attached to a side of, in the sliding groove
of) the door frame, when the door is being closed.
[0008] In an aspect, the second bracket component can be shaped
(e.g., substantially rectangular or square shaped with regard to
the main body of the second bracket component) and sized, as
desired, wherein there can be an extended portion (e.g., tongue,
tag) that can extend out from the main body of the second bracket
component, and wherein the extended portion can be employed to
facilitate stopping and latching of the associated door, for
example, when the extended portion comes in contact with a holder
component (e.g., magnet component) associated with the first
bracket component, as more fully disclosed herein.
[0009] The system can further comprise one or more holder
components, which can be attached or adhered to a recessed area(s),
for example, at or near an edge of the first bracket component. In
an embodiment, a holder component can be or can include, for
example, a permanent magnet that can produce at least a desired
amount of force (e.g., magnetic force) to facilitate attracting and
holding the extended portion of the second bracket component
against the holder component to thereby hold or latch the door in a
desired predefined locational position (e.g., a specified location)
in relation to the door frame when the door is closed. The
predefined locational position can be a desired locational position
in relation to an operation device (e.g., lock, such as an
electromagnetic lock; a sensor; a switch; etc.), which can be
attached to the first bracket component and/or second bracket
component.
[0010] In accordance another embodiment, the holder component, when
contained on the first bracket component, can comprise a vacuum cup
that can apply a desired amount of force to a surface (e.g.,
extended portion) of the second bracket component (or conversely,
the first bracket component (e.g., in the recessed area), when the
holder component is contained on the second bracket component)
(e.g., via the vacuum or suction force generated by applying the
vacuum cup to a surface of the second bracket component) to latch
or hold the door in the desired locational position. In still
another embodiment, the holder component can be a Velcro liner,
which can be attached to the first or second bracket component,
wherein a Velcro receptor can be attached to the other of the first
or second bracket component, and the Velcro liner can come in
contact with the Velcro receptor when the door is closed such that
a desired amount of latching force is created by the Velcro liner
being attached to the Velcro receptor to hold the door in the
desired locational position.
[0011] As an example of the door stopping/door latching system, the
operation device can be an electromagnetic lock, wherein the lock
component, which can include the lock pin (e.g., lock bolt) and
solenoid actuator, can be attached to the first bracket component
(e.g., on the portion of the first bracket component that overhangs
beyond the door frame), and a lock receptacle, which can have a
hole that can receive the lock pin to the lock the door, when
desired, can be attached to the second bracket component. When
closing and locking the door, the overhanging portion of the first
bracket component can act as a door stop for the door, so that the
door stops when it comes in contact with the overhanging portion of
the first bracket component, and the extended portion of the second
bracket component comes in contact with the holder component,
wherein the magnetic force of the holder component can hold or
latch the extended portion to thereby latch the door and hold the
door closed in the desired predefined locational position. The
predefined location position can be selected such that, when the
door is in that position, the lock pin of the lock component and
the hole in the lock receptacle can be desirably aligned in
relation to each other so that when the lock component is switched
to the locked state, the lock pin can engage or be inserted in the
hole in the lock receptacle to lock the door with respect to the
door frame.
[0012] In accordance with an aspect, the amount of latching force
applied by the holder component to the extended portion of the
second bracket component can be controlled and varied based at
least in part on the amount of overlap of the extended portion on
the surface of the holder component there is when the door is in
the latched position (e.g., when at least a portion of the extended
portion is in contact with the surface of the holder component). As
desired, the extended portion can be adjusted or moved in relation
to the holder component associated with the first bracket component
to facilitate adjusting the amount of latching force the holder
component applies to the extended portion. The second bracket
component can have extended or substantially rectangular or oblong
screw guides (e.g., holes wherein a screw(s) can be inserted to
attach the second bracket component to the door), wherein the
second bracket component, including the extended portion, can be
moved along the screw guides to adjust the amount of overlap the
extended portion has on the holder component in the closed position
until the extended portion has a desired amount of overlap with the
holder component to result in the desired amount of latching force
in the closed position, wherein the screws can be tightened to the
door to attach the second bracket component to the door at the
point along the screw guides that results in the desired amount of
overlap of the extended portion on the holder component.
[0013] In another aspect, the extended portion of the second
bracket component can be shaped and sized as desired to facilitate
creating or adjusting the force profile of the extended portion and
the system overall. For instance, the extended portion can be
respectively shaped to have a force profile that is linear (or
substantially linear) or non-linear with regard to adjusting the
latching force based at least in part on adjustments of the amount
of overlap of the extended portion in relation to the holder
component. For example, when the extended portion has a rectangular
or square shape, the force profile can be linear or at least
substantially linear, such that, as the extended portion is moved
in a direction resulting is less overlap with the holder component,
there can be a linear or substantially linear reduction in the
amount of latching force applied by the holder component to the
extended portion, and, as the extended portion is moved in a
direction resulting is more overlap with the holder component,
there can be a linear or substantially linear increase in the
amount of latching force applied by the holder component to the
extended portion. As another example, instead of a rectangular or
square shaped extended portion, the extended portion can have one
edge or corner (or both edges or corners) rounded, or can be shaped
in a triangular shape, which can create a non-linear force profile,
such that, as the extended portion is moved in a direction
resulting is less overlap with the holder component, there can be a
non-linear (e.g., square function, exponential function, etc.)
reduction in the amount of latching force applied by the holder
component to the extended portion, and, as the extended portion is
moved in a direction resulting is more overlap with the holder
component, there can be a non-linear increase in the amount of
latching force applied by the holder component to the extended
portion, wherein the non-linear force profile can be based at least
in part on the particular shape of the extended portion and the
amount of overlap of extended portion on the holder component.
[0014] In yet another aspect, the second bracket component can
include, or can have adhered thereon (e.g., using a suitable
adhesive material), a force level guide that can show the
respective amounts of latching force that can be achieved at
respective positions of the extended portion of the second bracket
component in relation to the holder component associated with the
first bracket component. The force level guide can comprise a set
of force level lines or grooves that each has a respective force
level associated with that particular line or groove (e.g., first
line indicates 10 Newtons (N), second line indicates 20 N, third
line indicates 30 N, etc.). When the second bracket component is
adjusted or moved about its screw guides to adjust the amount of
overlap of the extended portion in relation to the holder
component, the force level guide can indicate the amount of
latching force that corresponds with the position of the second
bracket component in relation to the holder component and/or
associated operation device. The user can view the amount of
latching force indicated on the force level guide so the user can
be informed as to the amount of latching force and can adjust the
second bracket component, and thereby the amount of latching force,
to achieve the desired amount of latching force. The respective
levels indicated by the force level guide and the placement of the
corresponding force level lines or grooves can be determined based
at least in part on the shape of the extended portion and the
magnetic force of the holder component. In accordance with various
embodiments, the force level guide can be formed on the second
bracket component, wherein, for example, force level lines can be
formed in or on a surface of the second bracket component (e.g.,
surface facing outward when attached to the door; or the force
level guide can be formed on a force level plate, which can be
formed of metal, polymer-based material, paper, or other desired
material, and can be attached or adhered to the surface of the
second bracket component).
[0015] In still another aspect, the first bracket component can
function as a shock or force absorber for an operation device
attached to the first bracket component. For instance, the first
bracket component, with the overhanging portion that overhangs
beyond the door frame, can function as a type of cantilever,
wherein the material that forms the first bracket component can
have at least some level of elasticity, and when the door impacts
and is stopped by the overhanging portion of the first bracket
component, the first bracket component can absorb at least a
portion of the impact of the door, which can reduce the amount of
shock, vibration, or force that is impacted on (e.g., transferred
to) the operation device. In an embodiment, if desired, a shock
absorber component, which can be fabricated from a desired
material(s) (e.g., polymer-based material, felt, etc.) and can have
a desired thickness and shape (e.g., shape that corresponds to the
shape of the surface of the overhanging portion with which the
shock absorber component will be in contact and/or the shape of the
side of the operation device with which the shock absorber
component will be in contact), can be inserted between the first
bracket component and the operation device to provide further shock
or force absorption to thereby further reduce the amount of shock,
vibration, or force impacted on the operation device when the door
impacts (e.g., comes in contact with) the overhanging portion of
the first bracket component when the door is being closed.
[0016] In yet another aspect, the system can comprise an operation
integrity component that can sense conditions associated with the
first bracket component and second bracket component, the door and
associated door frame, and/or operation devices attached to the
first bracket component or second bracket component to facilitate
securing the door and associated defined physical area, as desired,
and maintaining desirable operation of the system. In an
embodiment, the operation integrity component can be associated
with a sensor component (e.g., magnetic field sensor, which can be
or can comprise a Reed switch or Hall-effect sensor, in accordance
with various embodiments) that can be associated with (e.g.,
connected to, implanted in) the recessed area of the first bracket
component (or, in another embodiment, in the extended portion of
the second bracket component) and can sense whether recessed area
(or the extended portion) is in a magnetized state or
non-magnetized state and/or sense the amount of magnetic field or
force applied to recessed area (or the extended portion) by the
holder component, wherein, for example, the holder component can be
attached to the extended portion and can apply a desired latching
force to the recessed area (or another component formed thereon or
attached thereto), or alternatively, can be attached to the
recessed area and can apply a desired latching force to the
extended portion. When the door is open, the sensor component can
sense that the amount of magnetic force applied to or experienced
by the recessed area (or the extended portion) is low (e.g., below
a minimum threshold magnetic force level that indicates the door is
properly closed) and can transmit a signal (e.g., feedback signal)
that indicates the door is in an open state. When the door is
closed properly, the sensor component can sense that the amount of
magnetic force applied to or experienced by the recessed portion
(or the extended portion) is at least the minimum threshold
latching force level and can transmit a signal that indicates the
door is in a closed state. The feedback signal can serve as a
Magnetic Bond Sensor (MBS) output as well as a Door Status Switch
(DSS) for the door latch. The sensor component can be useful, for
example, when a lock component with a lock pin is attached to the
first bracket component and a lock receptacle is attached to the
second bracket component, as the sensor component can indicate when
the second bracket component and associated lock receptacle are in
the desired predefined locational position in relation to the lock
pin associated with the first bracket component, so that when the
lock pin is moved to the locked position, the lock pin can
successfully engage the hole in the lock receptacle.
[0017] Also, over time and/or for other reasons, the door may
become misaligned, and, as a result, which can cause misalignment
of the recessed area (or the extended portion) in relation to the
holder component, and also can cause misalignment of the lock pin
in relation to the hole in the lock receptacle, which can
negatively affect operations associated with the door (e.g., door
is unable to be locked because the lock pin is not able to engage
the hole in the lock receptacle). The misalignment of the recessed
area (or the extended portion) in relation to the holder component
can result in a change in the strength of the magnetic field. The
sensor component can detect the magnetic field strength at or on
the recessed area (or the extended portion), and can send feedback
relating to the detected magnetic field strength, for example, to a
computer system. The computer system can analyze the feedback
information and can identify that the magnetic field strength has
changed to an undesirable level, and can determine that the door is
misaligned or at least is likely misaligned, or that the recessed
area (or the extended portion) is not in proper alignment with the
holder component, and a maintenance ticket can be issued to have a
maintenance person check out the door and the door latch/door stop
system and correct any defect so that the system operates
properly.
[0018] The following description and the annexed drawings set forth
certain illustrative aspects of the specification. These aspects
are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which
the principles of the specification can be employed. Other
advantages and novel features of the specification will become
apparent from the following detailed description of the
specification when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of an example system that can
efficiently stop and latch a door in accordance with various
aspects and embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.
[0020] FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D respectively illustrate diagrams of
respective example systems that can employ respective second
bracket components comprising respective extended portions having
respective shapes to facilitate obtaining respective force profiles
relating to door latching in accordance with various embodiments of
the disclosed subject matter.
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of an example system that can
efficiently stop and latch a door in accordance with an embodiment
of the disclosed subject matter.
[0022] FIG. 4 depicts a diagram of an example system that can
facilitate intelligently adjusting and selecting a desired amount
of force to be applied to an extended portion (e.g., tongue, tag)
of a second bracket component (e.g., door bracket component) in
accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.
[0023] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate diagrams of example systems that
each can facilitate reducing an amount of impact on an operation
device due to closing of a door in accordance with various
embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.
[0024] FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of an example system that can
facilitate monitoring integrity of the door latch/door stop system
to facilitate system security and maintenance in accordance with an
embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.
[0025] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example methodology
that can facilitate efficient latching of a door in accordance with
various aspects and embodiments of the disclosed subject
matter.
[0026] FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart of an example methodology that
can facilitate stopping and latching of a door in accordance with
an aspect of the disclosed subject matter.
[0027] FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of an example methodology for
fabricating a door stop/door latch in accordance with an aspect of
the disclosed subject matter.
[0028] FIG. 10 depicts a flowchart of an example methodology that
can facilitate construction of a door stop/door latch in accordance
with an aspect of the disclosed subject matter.
[0029] FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of an example methodology
that can monitor and detect operating conditions associated with a
door in accordance with an aspect of the disclosed subject
matter.
[0030] FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a suitable
operating environment.
[0031] FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a sample-computing
environment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] The disclosed subject matter is now described with reference
to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer
to like elements throughout. In the following description, for
purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in
order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed subject
matter. It can be evident, however, that the disclosed subject
matter can be practiced without these specific details. In other
instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block
diagram form in order to facilitate describing the disclosed
subject matter.
[0033] As used in this application, the terms "component,"
"module," "object", "system," or the like can refer to hardware
(e.g., lock housing, lock pin, magnet, etc.) and/or a
computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware
and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a
component can be, but is not limited to being, a process running on
a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of
execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration,
both an application running on a controller and the controller can
be a component. One or more components can reside within a process
and/or thread of execution and a component can be localized on one
computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. As
another example, an interface can include I/O components as well as
associated processor, application, and/or API components.
[0034] Typically, operation devices, such as door locks, can be
employed to secure doors and defined physical areas associated with
the doors. Often, it can be desirable to be able to latch the door
to hold the door in a specified position (e.g., a predefined
locational position when closed) in relation to the door frame,
where, for example, the door can then be locked, to facilitate
securing the defined physical area. One type of conventional door
latch accomplishes latching of the door by using an electromagnet
with variable current. Certain issues can arise when using such
conventional door latches, as for example, such a door latch
consumes energy while producing the latching and loss of power
creates a loss of latching. Due in part to these drawbacks, such
conventional door latches may not be suitable and/or may not be
allowed in certain applications, such as some safety applications,
for example. Another type of conventional door latch accomplishes
latching of the door using a permanent magnet, wherein the magnet
is integrated with the lock. With this type of conventional door
latch, it is not possible to vary the latching conditions without
degrading the locking quality of the lock. Also, some conventional
door latches are integrated with door stops, wherein such door
latches may allow for some adjustment. However, such conventional
door latches do not allow for adjustment of the door latch while at
the same time allowing for predictable and desirable force profile
settings.
[0035] To that end, systems, methods, and devices that efficiently
stop and latch a door are presented. In an aspect, a first bracket
component can be attached to a door frame and can have an overhang
portion, comprising a holder component (e.g., permanent magnet),
that can extend into the doorway to act as a door stop when the
door is moved from the open position to the closed position in
relation to the associated door frame. In another aspect, the
second bracket component, which can comprise an extended portion
(e.g., tongue, tag), can be desirably adjusted in position in
relation to the holder component and attached to the door such that
the extended portion has a desired amount of overlap on the holder
component, wherein the amount of overlap can correspond to an
amount of latching force (e.g., magnetic force) between the holder
component and the extended portion in accordance with the force
profile associated with the extended portion and based at least in
part on the shape of the extended portion, wherein differently
shaped extended portions can have different force profiles. In an
embodiment, the holder component, by employing a permanent magnet
to apply a desired amount of magnetic force to the extended portion
(e.g., to magnetically attract and hold the extended portion), can
desirably maintain latching without requiring power to thereby
conserve power and maintain latching during power off conditions
associated with the door. In still another aspect, an operation
device (e.g., electromagnetic lock, sensor, switch, etc.) can be
attached to the first bracket component (e.g., electromagnetic
lock, comprising a solenoid actuator and lock pin, can be attached
to the first bracket component) and/or second bracket component
(e.g., lock receptacle associated with the lock can be attached to
the second bracket component) and the door latching can hold the
door in the desired predefined locational position to facilitate
operations of the operation component.
[0036] Now referring to FIG. 1, illustrated is a diagram of an
example system 100 that can efficiently stop and latch a door in
accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the disclosed
subject matter. In an aspect, the system 100 (e.g., a door
latch/door stop system) can comprise a first bracket component 102
(e.g., door frame bracket component) that can be attached to a
portion of a door frame (not shown in FIG. 1; e.g., as shown in
FIGS. 3, 5A, and 5B) at a desired location on the door frame. The
system 100 also can include a second bracket component 104 (e.g.,
door bracket component) that can be attached to a door (e.g.,
swinging door, sliding door, etc.) (not shown in FIG. 1; e.g., as
shown in FIG. 5A) associated with the door frame. In an aspect, the
first bracket component 102 and/or second bracket component 104 can
be made from a desired material(s), such as a ferromagnetic
material(s), which can be attracted to a magnetic force when a
magnetic force is applied thereto. The first bracket component 102
can be have a desired shape (e.g., rectangular, square, etc.) and
size, wherein, for example, the first bracket component 102 can be
large enough in size such that a portion of the first bracket
component 102 can be desirably attached to the door frame and a
desired portion of the first bracket component 102 can overhang
and/or extend beyond the door frame and into the doorway so that
the first bracket component 102 can be employed, in part, as a door
stop and door latching mechanism for the door, which can be
associated with (e.g., attached to a side of, in the sliding groove
of) the door frame, when the door is being closed. That is, when
the door is being closed, the door can come in contact with the
overhanging portion of the first bracket component 102 and the
first bracket component 102 can stop the door at that point.
[0037] In an aspect, the second bracket component 104 can be shaped
(e.g., substantially rectangular or square shaped with regard to
the main body of the second bracket component 104) and sized, as
desired, wherein there can be an extended portion 106 (e.g.,
tongue, tag) that can extend out from the main body of the second
bracket component 104. The extended portion 106 can be employed to
facilitate stopping and latching of the associated door, for
example, when the extended portion 106 comes in contact with a
holder component 108 (e.g., magnet component) associated with the
first bracket component 102, as more fully disclosed herein.
[0038] It is to be appreciated and understood that, while the
subject specification generally discloses that the first bracket
component 102 is attached to a door frame and the second bracket
component 104 is attached to a door, the subject specification is
not so limited, as, in accordance with another embodiment, the
first bracket component 102 can be attached to the door and the
second bracket component 104 can be attached to a door frame.
[0039] The system 100 can further comprise one or more holder
components 108, which can be attached or adhered to a recessed
area(s) 110, for example, at or near an edge of the first bracket
component 102. In an embodiment, a holder component 108 can be or
can include, for example, a permanent magnet that can produce at
least a desired amount of force (e.g., magnetic force) to
facilitate attracting and holding the extended portion 106 of the
second bracket component 104 against the holder component 108 to
thereby hold or latch the door in a desired predefined locational
position (e.g., a specified location) in relation to the door frame
when the door is closed. By employing a holder component 108 that
comprises a permanent magnet to apply the desired force to latch
the door, the system 100 does not have to use external power to
maintain latching of the door, which can eliminate power
consumption with regard to door latching (e.g., the system 100 can
be desirably "green" or eco-friendly).
[0040] It is to be appreciated and understood though that, while
the holder component is often described herein as comprising a
magnet, such as a permanent magnet, the subject specification is
not so limited, as in accordance with various embodiments of the
disclosed subject matter, the holder component can comprise other
components or features that can facilitate applying a desired
latching force to hold the door in the desired locational position
when the door is closed. In accordance with an embodiment, a holder
component 108 alternatively can comprise an electromagnet that can
receive power to generate an electromagnetic force to be applied to
the extended portion 106 to facilitate the door latching. With
regard to the door latching, the predefined locational position can
be a desired locational position in relation to an operation device
(e.g., lock, such as an electromagnetic lock; a sensor; a switch;
etc.) (not shown in FIG. 1; e.g., as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5A),
which can be attached to the first bracket component 102 (e.g.,
electromagnetic lock, comprising a solenoid actuator and lock pin
can be attached to the first bracket component 102) and/or second
bracket component 104 (e.g., a lock receptacle that is part of or
associated with the electromagnetic lock can be attached to the
second bracket component 104).
[0041] In accordance with another embodiment, the holder component
108, when contained on the first bracket component 102, can
comprise a vacuum cup(s) that can apply a desired amount of force
to the extended portion 106 of the second bracket component 104 (or
conversely, to the surface in the recessed area 110 of the first
bracket component 102, when the holder component 108 is contained
on the second bracket component 104) (e.g., via the vacuum or
suction force generated by applying the vacuum cup to the extended
portion 106 of the second bracket component 104) to latch or hold
the door in the desired locational position. In an aspect, multiple
vacuum cups can be employed wherein the amount of latching force
applied can be based at least in part on the amount of overlap of
the holder component 108 has on the surface (e.g., extended portion
106), wherein the amount of overlap can determine the number of
vacuum cups that are in contact with the surface when the door is
in the closed position (e.g., the more vacuum cups in contact with
the surface, the higher the latching force).
[0042] In still another embodiment, the holder component 108 can be
or can comprise a Velcro liner, which can be attached to the first
bracket component 102 or the extended portion 106 of the second
bracket component 104, wherein a Velcro receptor can be attached to
the other of the first bracket component 102 (e.g., in the recessed
area 110) or the extended portion 106 of the second bracket
component 104, and the Velcro liner can come in contact with the
Velcro receptor when the door is closed such that a desired amount
of latching force is created by the Velcro liner being attached to
the Velcro receptor to hold the door in the desired locational
position. In an aspect, the amount of latching force created by the
Velcro liner can be based at least in part on the amount of overlap
of the Velcro liner on the Velcro receptor, wherein more overlap
can result in a higher latching force and less overlap can result
in a lower latching force. The vacuum cup latching feature and the
Velcro liner latching feature each can desirably latch the door
without consuming or requiring power to generate and apply the
desired amount of latching force.
[0043] In accordance with an aspect, the amount of latching force
applied by the holder component 108 to the extended portion 106 of
the second bracket component 104 can be controlled and varied
(e.g., increased, decreased) based at least in part on the amount
of overlap of the extended portion 106 on the surface of the holder
component 108 when the door is in the latched position (e.g., when
at least a portion of the extended portion 106 is in contact with
the surface of the holder component 108). As desired, the extended
portion 106 can be adjusted or moved in relation to the holder
component 108 associated with the first bracket component 102 to
facilitate adjusting the amount of overlap and thereby the amount
of latching force the holder component 108 applies to the extended
portion 106 when the associated door is in the closed position with
respect to the door frame.
[0044] To facilitate adjusting the amount of overlap of the
extended portion 106 on the surface of the holder component 108,
the second bracket component 104 can have extended or substantially
rectangular or oblong screw guides 112 (e.g., holes wherein a
screw(s) 114 can be inserted to attach the second bracket component
104 (and/or an associated component of an operation device) to the
door). The second bracket component 104, including the extended
portion 106, can be moved along the screw guides 112 (e.g., slits)
to adjust the amount of overlap the extended portion 106 has with
regard to the surface of the holder component 108 when in the
closed position until the extended portion 106 has a desired amount
of overlap with the holder component 108 to result in the desired
amount of latching force when in the closed position, wherein the
screws 114 can be tightened to the door to attach the second
bracket component 104 to the door at the point along the screw
guides 112 that results in the desired amount of overlap of the
extended portion 106 on the surface of the holder component 108. It
can be desirable to be able to adjust the amount of latching force
because, for example, different doors can have different weights or
different door movement resistances, which can affect the amount of
latching force that is desired for a particular door (e.g., it can
be desirable to have a lower amount of latching force on a lighter
door with a light amount of door movement resistance than on a
heavier door and/or a door with heavier door movement resistance,
for reasons of safety, for example (e.g., a higher latching force
can quickly be reduced as the amount of space between the holder
component and extended portion increases, which can result in a
light door with a light amount of door level resistance suddenly
breaking away when the latching force is overcome and the door can
then potentially hit and/or injure the user who is opening the
door), and/or there can be other factors that make is desirable to
adjust the amount of latching force.
[0045] It is to be appreciated and understood that, while the
subject specification generally discloses that the holder component
108 is inserted or attached to a recessed area 110 of the first
bracket component 102 and the extended portion 106 is formed of a
ferromagnetic material that can be attracted to the force applied
by the holder component 108, the subject specification is not so
limited, as, in accordance with another embodiment, the holder
component 108 can be attached to the extended portion 106 and a
portion of the recessed area 110 can be formed of a ferromagnetic
material that can be attracted to the force applied on it by the
holder component 108 (e.g., as depicted in FIG. 6 and described
herein).
[0046] In accordance with various embodiments, the force profile of
a latching system can be adjusted or set based at least in part on
the shape of the extended portion of the second bracket component.
Referring briefly to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D, FIG. 2A depicts a
portion of a system 200 that can employ a second bracket component
having a substantially rectangular extended portion to facilitate
door latching in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed
subject matter; FIG. 2B depicts a portion of a system 220 that can
employ a second bracket component having an extended portion that
is partially rounded to facilitate adjusting the force profile to
facilitate desired door latching in accordance with another
embodiment of the disclosed subject matter; FIG. 2C depicts a
portion of a system 240 that can employ a second bracket component
comprising an extended portion that is rounded on its top end to
facilitate adjusting the force profile to facilitate desired door
latching in accordance with yet another embodiment of the disclosed
subject matter; and FIG. 2D depicts a portion of a system 260 that
can employ a second bracket component comprising an extended
portion that is shaped in the form of a triangle to facilitate
adjusting the force profile to facilitate desired door latching in
accordance with still another embodiment of the disclosed subject
matter.
[0047] With regard to FIG. 2A, the portion of the system 200 can
include a first bracket component 202 that can be attached to a
door frame (not shown in FIG. 2A) and can be employed as a door
stop and to facilitate latching the door (not shown in FIG. 2A)
when the door is in the closed position in relation to the door
frame. The system 200 can include a second bracket component 204
that can be attached to the door, for example, to facilitate
latching of the door when the door is closed in relation to a door
frame to which the door can be attached or can otherwise be
associated. The second bracket component 204 can have an extended
portion 206, which can be formed of a ferromagnetic material(s)
(e.g., a material that can be magnetically attracted to a magnetic
force or electromagnetic force), and can be employed to facilitate
latching the door when the door is in the closed position, wherein
the first bracket component 202 can comprise a holder component
208, which can include a permanent magnet that can produce a
specified amount of magnetic force, and the holder component 208
can be inserted and/or adhered to a recessed area 210 formed in the
first bracket component 202 in a region of the first bracket
component 202 that can be aligned with the extended portion 206 of
the second bracket component 204. The size of the recessed area 210
can be such that a desired portion of the extended portion 206 can
be placed inside the recessed area 210. The holder component 208
can apply a desired amount of magnetic force to the extended
portion 206 to hold the associated door in the closed position when
the extended portion 206, or desired portion thereof, is in contact
with the holder component 208, in accordance with the force profile
associated with the extended portion 206, wherein the force profile
can be based at least in part on the shape of the extended portion
206.
[0048] In this embodiment, the extended portion 206 can be shaped
in the form of a rectangular shape, or a substantially rectangular
shape, which can give the extended portion 206 a linear or
substantially linear force profile. As a result, when the second
bracket component 204 is adjusted in position in relation to the
first bracket component 202 by moving the second bracket component
204 along its screw guides 212 the amount of force that can be
applied to the extended portion 206 by the holder component 208
when the door is in the closed position can increase linearly or
substantially linearly as the amount of overlap of the extended
portion 206 on the holder component 208 increases, and can decrease
linearly or substantially linearly as the amount of overlap of the
extended portion 206 on the holder component 208 decreases.
[0049] FIG. 2B illustrates the portion of the system 220, which can
include a first bracket component 222 that can be attached to a
door frame (not shown in FIG. 2B) and can be employed as a door
stop and to facilitate latching the door (not shown in FIG. 2B)
when the door is in the closed position in relation to the door
frame. The system 220 can include a second bracket component 224
that can be attached to the door, for example, to facilitate
latching of the door when the door is closed in relation to a door
frame to which the door can be attached or can otherwise be
associated. The second bracket component 224 can have an extended
portion 226, which can be formed of a ferromagnetic material(s),
and can employed to facilitate latching the door when the door is
in the closed position, wherein the first bracket component 222 can
comprise a holder component 228, which can include a permanent
magnet that can produce a specified amount of magnetic force, and
the holder component 228 can be inserted and/or adhered to a
recessed area 230 formed in the first bracket component 222 in a
region of the first bracket component 222 that can be aligned with
the extended portion 226 of the second bracket component 224. The
size of the recessed area 230 can be such that a desired portion of
the extended portion 226 can be placed inside the recessed area
230. The holder component 228 can apply a desired amount of
magnetic force to the extended portion 226 to hold the associated
door in the closed position when the extended portion 226, or
desired portion thereof, is in contact with the holder component
228 in accordance with the force profile associated with the
extended portion 226.
[0050] In accordance with this embodiment, the extended portion 226
can be shaped such that it is rounded on one side so as to form a
quarter portion of a circle or an oval, which can give the extended
portion 226 a specified non-linear force profile. As a result, when
the second bracket component 224 is adjusted in position in
relation to the first bracket component 222 by moving the second
bracket component 224 along its screw guides 232 the amount of
force that can be applied to the extended portion 226 by the holder
component 228 when the door is in the closed position can increase
non-linearly as the amount of overlap of the extended portion 226
on the holder component 228 increases (e.g., the rate of increase
in magnetic force can vary (e.g., increase) as the amount of
overlap increases), and can decrease non-linearly as the amount of
overlap of the extended portion 226 on the holder component 228
decreases (e.g., the rate of decrease in magnetic force can vary
(e.g., increase) as the amount of overlap decreases). As a further
result, in comparison to the extended portion 206 of FIG. 2A, the
increase in force experienced by (e.g., applied to) the extended
portion 226 can be at a relatively slower rate than the increase in
force experienced by the extended portion 206 in FIG. 2A as the
second bracket component is moved to increase overlap of the
extended portion 226 on the holder component 228, and the overall
amount of force (e.g., latching force) that can be experienced by
the extended portion 226 (e.g., when there is maximum overlap of
the extended portion 226 on the holder component 228) will be less
than the overall amount of force that can be applied to or
experienced by the extended portion 206 (e.g., when there is
maximum overlap of the extended portion 206 on the holder component
208), since the extended portion 206 can have more overlap on the
holder component than the extended portion 226.
[0051] Turning to FIG. 2C, illustrated is the portion of system
240, which can include a first bracket component 242 that can be
attached to a door frame (not shown in FIG. 2C) and can be employed
as a door stop and to facilitate latching the door (not shown in
FIG. 2C) when the door is in the closed position in relation to the
door frame. The system 240 can include a second bracket component
244 that can be attached to the door, for example, to facilitate
latching of the door when the door is closed in relation to a door
frame to which the door can be attached or can otherwise be
associated. The second bracket component 244 can have an extended
portion 246, which can be formed of a ferromagnetic material(s),
and can employed to facilitate latching the door when in the closed
position, wherein the first bracket component 242 can comprise a
holder component 248, which can include a permanent magnet that can
produce a specified amount of magnetic force, and the holder
component 248 can be inserted and/or adhered to a recessed area 250
formed in the first bracket component 242 in a region of the first
bracket component 242 that can be aligned with the extended portion
246 of the second bracket component 244. The size of the recessed
area 250 can be such that a desired portion of the extended portion
246 can be placed inside the recessed area 250. The holder
component 248 can apply a desired amount of magnetic force to the
extended portion 246 to hold the associated door in the closed
position when the extended portion 246, or desired portion thereof,
is in contact with the holder component 248, in accordance with the
force profile associated with the extended portion 246.
[0052] In this embodiment, the extended portion 246 can be shaped
such that it is rounded on both ends of the top side so as to form
a semi-circle or semi-oval on the top end of the extended portion
246, which can give the extended portion 246 a non-linear force
profile. As a result, when the second bracket component 244 is
adjusted in position in relation to the first bracket component 242
by moving the second bracket component 244 along its screw guides
252 to increase or decrease overlap of the extended portion 246 on
the holder component 248, the amount of force that can be applied
to the extended portion 246 by the holder component 248 when the
door is in the closed position can increase non-linearly as the
amount of overlap of the extended portion 246 on the holder
component 228 increases (e.g., the rate of increase in the amount
of magnetic force can vary (e.g., increase) as the amount of
overlap increases), and can decrease non-linearly as the amount of
overlap of the extended portion 246 on the holder component 248
decreases (e.g., the rate of decrease in the amount of magnetic
force can vary (e.g., increase) as the amount of overlap
decreases), wherein the force profile associated with the extended
portion 246 can be different than the force profile associated with
the extended portion 226, even though both force profiles are
non-linear. As a further result, in comparison to the extended
portion 206 of FIG. 2A, the increase in force experienced by the
extended portion 246 can be at a relatively slower rate than the
increase in force experienced by the extended portion 206 in FIG.
2A as the second bracket component is moved to increase overlap of
the extended portion 246 on the holder component 248 (in FIG. 2C),
and the overall amount of force (e.g., latching force) that can be
experienced by the extended portion 246 (e.g., when there is
maximum overlap of the extended portion 246 on the holder component
248) will be less than the overall amount of force that can be
experienced by the extended portion 206 (e.g., when there is
maximum overlap of the extended portion 206 on the holder component
208), since the extended portion 206 can have more overlap on the
holder component 208 than the amount of overlap the extended
portion 246 can have on holder component 248.
[0053] Referring to FIG. 2D, illustrated is the portion of system
260, which can include a first bracket component 262 that can be
attached to a door frame (not shown in FIG. 2D) and can be employed
as a door stop and to facilitate latching the door (not shown in
FIG. 2D) when the door is in the closed position in relation to the
door frame. The system 260 can include a second bracket component
264 that can be attached to the door, for example, to facilitate
latching of the door when the door is closed in relation to a door
frame to which the door can be attached or can otherwise be
associated. The second bracket component 264 can have an extended
portion 266, which can be formed of a ferromagnetic material(s),
and can employed to facilitate latching the door when the door is
in the closed position, wherein the first bracket component 262 can
comprise a holder component 268, which can include a permanent
magnet that can produce a specified amount of magnetic force, and
the holder component 268 can be inserted and/or adhered to a
recessed area 270 formed in the first bracket component 262 in a
region of the first bracket component 262 that can be aligned with
the extended portion 266 of the second bracket component 264. The
size of the recessed area 270 can be such that a desired portion of
the extended portion 266 can be placed inside the recessed area
270. The holder component 268 can apply a desired amount of
magnetic force to the extended portion 266 to hold the associated
door in the closed position when the extended portion 266, or
desired portion thereof, is in contact with the holder component
268, in accordance with the force profile associated with the
extended portion 266.
[0054] In this embodiment, the extended portion 266 can be shaped
such that it is in the form a triangle, which can give the extended
portion 266 a non-linear force profile, which, for example, can be
different from the non-linear force profiles disclosed herein with
regard to FIGS. 2B and 2C. As a result, when the second bracket
component 264 is adjusted in position in relation to the first
bracket component 262 by moving the second bracket component 264
along its screw guides 272 to increase or decrease overlap of the
extended portion 266 on the holder component 268, the amount of
force that can be applied to the extended portion 266 by the holder
component 268 when the door is in the closed position can increase
non-linearly as the amount of overlap of the extended portion 266
on the holder component 268 increases (e.g., the rate of increase
in magnetic force can vary (e.g., increase) as the amount of
overlap increases), and can decrease non-linearly as the amount of
overlap of the extended portion 266 on the holder component 268
decreases (e.g., the rate of decrease in the amount of magnetic
force can vary (e.g., increase) as the amount of overlap
decreases). As a further result, in comparison to the extended
portion 206 of FIG. 2A, the increase in force experienced by the
extended portion 266 can be at a relatively slower rate than the
increase in force experienced by the extended portion 206 in FIG.
2A as the second bracket component is moved to increase overlap of
the extended portion 266 on the holder component 268 (in FIG. 2D),
and the overall amount of force (e.g., latching force) that can be
experienced by the extended portion 266 (e.g., when there is
maximum overlap of the extended portion 266 on the holder component
268) will be less than the overall amount of force that can be
experienced by the extended portion 206 (e.g., when there is
maximum overlap of the extended portion 206 on the holder component
208), since the extended portion 206 can have more overlap on the
holder component 208 than the amount of overlap the extended
portion 266 can have on holder component 268.
[0055] Turning to FIG. 3, illustrated is a diagram of an example
system 300 that can efficiently stop and latch a door in accordance
with an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter. In an aspect,
the system 300 (e.g., a door latch/door stop system) can comprise a
first bracket component 302 (e.g., door frame component) that can
be attached to a portion of a door frame 304 at a desired location
on the door frame 304. The system 300 also can include a second
bracket component 306 (e.g., door bracket component) that can be
attached to a door (e.g., swinging door, sliding door, etc.) (not
shown in FIG. 3 for reason of clarity; e.g., as depicted in FIG.
5A) associated with the door frame 304. In an aspect, the first
bracket component 302 and/or second bracket component 306 can be
made from a desired material(s), such as a ferromagnetic
material(s), which can be attracted to a force (e.g., magnetic
force) when a force is applied thereto. The first bracket component
302 can be have a desired shape (e.g., rectangular, square, etc.)
and size, wherein, for example, the first bracket component 302 can
be large enough in size such that a portion of the first bracket
component 302 can be desirably attached to the door frame 304 and a
desired portion (e.g., overhanging portion 308) of the first
bracket component 302 can overhang or extend beyond the door frame
304 and into the doorway so that the first bracket component 302
can be employed, in part, as a door stop and door latching
mechanism for the door, which can be associated with (e.g., in the
sliding groove of, attached to a side of) the door frame 304, when
the door is being closed. That is, when the door is being closed,
the door can come in contact with the overhanging portion 308 of
the first bracket component 302 and the first bracket component
302, including the overhanging portion 308, can stop the door at
that point where the overhang portion 308 is positioned in the
doorway.
[0056] In an aspect, the second bracket component 306 can be shaped
(e.g., substantially rectangular or square shaped with regard to
the main body of the second bracket component 306) and sized, as
desired, wherein there can be an extended portion 310 (e.g.,
tongue, tag), which can have a desired shape and size, that can
extend out from the main body of the second bracket component 306.
The extended portion 310 can be employed to facilitate stopping and
latching of the associated door, for example, when the extended
portion 310 comes in contact with a holder component 312 associated
with the first bracket component 302.
[0057] The first bracket component 302 can further comprise a
desired number of holder components, such as holder components 312
and 314, which can be attached or adhered to a corresponding number
of respective recessed areas 316 and 318, for example, at or near
desired edges of the first bracket component 302. In an embodiment,
a holder component (e.g., 312, 314) can be or can include, for
example, a permanent magnet that can produce at least a desired
amount of force (e.g., magnetic force) to facilitate attracting and
holding the extended portion 310 of the second bracket component
306 against the holder component 312 to thereby hold or latch the
door in a desired predefined locational position (e.g., a specified
location) in relation to the door frame 304 when the door is
closed. The predefined locational position can be a desired
locational position in relation to an operation device 320 (e.g.,
lock, such as an electromagnetic lock (as shown in FIG. 3); a
sensor; a switch; etc.), which can be attached to the first bracket
component 302 (e.g., on the overhanging portion 308 of the first
bracket component 302), for example, using screws 322 that can be
inserted into holes in the first bracket component 302 that can
correspond to screw holes (not shown) in the operation device
320.
[0058] In an aspect, when the door is a sliding door, the door can
be slid (e.g., from right to left with regard to FIG. 3) in a track
(not shown) to the closed position wherein at such point the side
of the door can be in contact with the door frame 304, and the
extended portion 310 can desirably overlap (e.g., have a desired
amount of overlap on the holder component) and be in contact with
the holder component 312, which can apply a desired amount of
latching force to the extended portion 310 to latch or hold the
door in the closed position. To facilitate enabling the extended
portion 310 to more easily engage or enter the recessed area 316,
the edge 324 of the recessed area 316 can have a beveled or
chamfered edge that can facilitate guiding the extended portion 310
into the recessed area 316 when the door is being slid to the
closed position. The recessed area 318 also can have a beveled or
chamfered edge 326, which can facilitate use of the first bracket
component 302 when the door is slid from right to left to close the
door, for example, as the first bracket component 302 can be turned
180 degrees from its orientation, as depicted in FIG. 3, so that
the first bracket component 302 can be attached to the opposite
side of the door frame 304, if the closed position for the door is
on the right side of the door frame (right side portion of the door
frame 304 is not shown for reasons of brevity and clarity).
[0059] In an aspect, the first bracket component 302 can be
flexible in use, such that it can be used with various different
types of doors (e.g., sliding doors, swinging doors, etc.) and
various different orientations (e.g., door sliding closed from
right to left (in accordance with FIG. 3), door sliding closed from
left to right, door sliding down to the closed position, door
swinging closed, etc.). The multiple recessed areas, recessed areas
316 and 318, can be located, for example, at two corners of the
first bracket component 302 and recessed such that the extended
portion 310 can enter the recessed area when a door swings closed,
when a door is slid down to the closed position, when a door is
slid closed from right to left (e.g., in accordance with FIG. 3),
and/or when a door is slid closed from left to right, in relation
to the door frame (e.g., 304).
[0060] In accordance with one embodiment, the operation device 320
can be a lock (e.g., an electromagnetic lock) that can employ a
lock pin (e.g., lock bolt) (not shown) that can be moved between an
unlocked position and a locked position to unlock or lock the door,
using, for example, a solenoid actuator (not shown) with a solenoid
plunger 328 desirably coupled to the lock pin. In an aspect, the
second bracket component 306 can have a lock receptacle 330
attached thereto, wherein the lock receptacle 330 can have a hole
thereon, and the hole can be aligned with the lock pin while the
door is in a desired predefined locational position, so that the
lock pin can engage or be inserted in the hole in the lock
receptacle 330 to put the lock and associated door in the locked
state. The lock can be, for example, a lock (e.g., lock component)
such as is more fully described in co-pending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/789,989.
[0061] The second bracket component 306 can comprise screw guides
332 and the second bracket component 306 can be moved or adjusted
along the screw guides 332 to facilitate adjusting the amount of
overlap of the extended portion 310 on the holder component 312.
When the desired amount of overlap, corresponding to a desired
amount of latching force, is achieved, in accordance with the force
profile associated with the extended portion 310, the second
bracket component 306 and associated lock receptacle 330 can be
firmly attached to the door (not shown) by tightening the screws
334 in corresponding screw holes on the door.
[0062] In an aspect, when closing and locking the door, the
overhanging portion 308 of the first bracket component 302 can act
as a door stop for the door, so that the door stops when it comes
in contact with the overhanging portion 308, and the extended
portion 310 of the second bracket component 306 comes in contact
with the holder component 312. When the door is stopped in the
closed position, the force (e.g., magnetic force) of the holder
component 312 can have desired strength (e.g., sufficient strength)
to hold or latch the extended portion 310 to thereby latch the door
and hold the door closed in the desired predefined locational
position. As disclosed herein, the predefined locational position
of the door (and thus, the lock receptacle 330) can be selected
such that, when the door is in that position, the lock pin of the
lock component and the hole in the lock receptacle 330 can be
desirably aligned in relation to each other so that when the lock
component is switched to the locked state, the solenoid plunger 328
can transition the lock pin to engage or be inserted in the hole in
the lock receptacle 330 to lock the door with respect to the door
frame 304.
[0063] It is to be appreciated and understood that, in accordance
with various embodiments, an operation device can be or can
comprise a lock (e.g., electromagnetic lock), a sensor (e.g.,
Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor), a magnetic card
reader for receiving authentication credentials (e.g., as contained
on a card with a magnetic strip), a keypad or other interface
(e.g., touch screen graphical user interface) for receiving
authentication credentials (e.g., password, passcode, Personal
Identification Number (PIN), etc.), a scanner for scanning or
reading information (e.g., authentication credentials) contained in
a smart card, a biometric scanner that can scan biometric
information associated with a user to facilitate authenticating the
user, and/or other interfaces or components, to facilitate
controlling operation of the door and access to the associated
defined physical area. For example, an operation device can
comprise a lock and a magnetic card reader, wherein the lock
associated with the door can be unlocked and opened in response to
a user swiping a magnetic strip on the user's card, comprising
proper authentication credentials embedded on the magnetic strip,
through a reader on the magnetic card reader, and the magnetic card
reader granting access to the user. As another example, an
operation device can comprise a lock and an RFID sensor, wherein
the lock associated with the door can be unlocked and opened in
response to the RFID sensor sensing or scanning information (e.g.,
proper authentication credentials) contained on the user's RFID
card and granting access to the user.
[0064] FIG. 4 depicts a diagram of an example system 400 that can
facilitate intelligently adjusting and selecting a desired amount
of force to be applied to an extended portion (e.g., tongue, tag)
of a second bracket component (e.g., door bracket component) in
accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter. In
an aspect, the system 400 can include a second bracket component
402 that can be attached to a door 404, using, for example, screws
406, at a desired position within the screw guides 408. The screw
guides 408 can be oblong shaped holes in the second bracket
component 402 that can facilitate adjusting the second bracket
component 402 to a desired position, wherein the second bracket
component 402 can be fastened to the door 404 in the desired
position by inserting and tightening the screws 406 in the screw
holes 410 in the door 404 via the screw guides 408 at a position in
the screw guides 408 that corresponds with the desired position of
the second bracket component 402.
[0065] In another aspect, the second bracket component 402 can
comprise an extended portion 412 (e.g., tongue, tag), which can run
the entire width of the second bracket component 402 (as depicted
in FIG. 4) or can span a portion of the width of the second bracket
component (e.g., as depicted in FIG. 1). When the door is placed in
a closed position in relation to an associated door frame (not
shown in FIG. 4), a first bracket component comprising a holder
component in a recessed area (not shown in FIG. 4; as depicted, for
example, in FIGS. 1-3), which can be attached to the door frame,
can be in proximity to the extended portion 412 and the holder
component can be in contact with at least a portion of the extended
portion 412 and can apply a desired amount of magnetic force to the
extended portion 412 to latch or hold the door in the closed
position, in accordance with the force profile of the extended
portion 412, wherein the force profile can be based at least in
part on the shape of the extended portion 412.
[0066] In still another aspect, the system 400 can provide a user
with information regarding the amount of latching force that is
being applied to the extended portion 412 by the holder component
to latch the door, so that the user can intelligently adjust the
amount of latching force to a desired level to facilitate desirable
(e.g., smooth and safe) latching and unlatching of the door. The
second bracket component 402 can include, or can have adhered
thereon (e.g., using a suitable adhesive material), a force level
guide 414 that can show the respective amounts of latching force
that can be applied to the extended portion 412 by the holder
component at respective positions of the extended portion 412 of
the second bracket component 402 in relation to the holder
component associated with the first bracket component. The force
level guide 414 can comprise a set of force level lines or grooves
that each has a respective force level, such as, for example, force
level A, force level B, force level C, . . . , force level F, . . .
, associated therewith, wherein the force levels can be in a
desired format (e.g., numerical value associated with a desired
unit of measure) and a desired level of granularity (e.g., a force
level every 5 N or every 10 N; a specified number of different
force levels over the available range of force levels; etc.) to
facilitate enabling a user to view and understand the amount of
latching force being applied for each position of the second
bracket component 402, and thus, the position of the extended
portion 412 in relation to the holder component (e.g., amount of
overlap of the extended position 412 on the holder component). For
example, the first line (e.g., force level A) can indicate 10 N,
the second line (e.g., force level B can indicate 20 N, the third
line (e.g., force level C) can indicate 30 N, etc.
[0067] When the second bracket component 402 is adjusted or moved
about its screw guides 408 to adjust the amount of overlap of the
extended portion 412 in relation to the holder component, the force
level guide 414 can indicate the amount of latching force that
corresponds with the position of the second bracket component 402
in relation to the holder component and/or associated operation
device 416, or portion thereof (e.g., component, such as a lock
receptacle, of the associated operation device). For instance, the
user can view the amount of latching force indicated on the force
level guide 414 at a particular position of the second bracket
component 402 when the portion of the operation device 416 is in a
desired position (e.g., predefined locational position) in relation
to another portion of the operation device 416 attached to the
first bracket component, so the user can be informed as to the
amount of latching force and can adjust the position of the second
bracket component 414 to thereby adjust the amount of overlap of
the extended portion 412 on the holder component, and thereby
adjust or control the amount of latching force, to achieve the
desired amount of latching force on the extended portion 412 and
thereby the associated door. An edge of the portion of the
operation device 416 to be attached to the second bracket component
402 can be used with the force level guide 414 to facilitate
determining the amount of latching force for a given position
(e.g., when the portion of the operation device 416 is in the
desired position, the amount of force indicated at the bottom edge
of the portion of the operation device 416 can be the amount of
force that will be applied is the second bracket component 402 is
attached in that position). The respective force levels indicated
by the force level guide 414 and the placement of the corresponding
force level lines or grooves (e.g., respectively associated with
force levels A through F) can be determined based at least in part
on the shape of the extended portion 412, the type of material used
to form the extended portion 412, and the magnetic force of the
holder component. In accordance with various embodiments, the force
level guide 414 can be formed on the second bracket component 402,
wherein, for example, force level lines and respectively associated
force level values can be formed in or on a surface of the second
bracket component 402 (e.g., surface facing outward when attached
to the door 404; or the force level guide 414 can be formed on a
force level plate, which can be formed of metal, polymer-based
material, paper, or other desired material, and can be attached or
adhered to the surface of the second bracket component 402).
[0068] FIG. 5A depicts a diagram of an example system 500 that can
facilitate reducing an amount of impact on an operation device due
to closing of a door in accordance with an embodiment of the
disclosed subject matter. The system 500 (e.g., a door latch/door
stop system) can comprise a first bracket component 502 (e.g., door
frame component) that can be attached to a portion of a door frame
504 at a desired location on the door frame 504. The system 500
also can include a second bracket component 506 (e.g., door bracket
component) that can be attached to a door 508 (e.g., swinging door,
sliding door, etc.) associated with the door frame 504 (e.g.,
attached to a portion of the door frame 504, inserted in a track of
the door frame 504, etc.). In an aspect, the first bracket
component 502 and/or second bracket component 506 can be made from
a desired material(s), such as a ferromagnetic material(s), which
can be attracted to a magnetic force when a force (e.g., magnetic
force) is applied thereto. The first bracket component 502 can be
have a desired shape (e.g., rectangular, square, etc.) and size,
wherein, for example, the first bracket component 502 can be large
enough in size such that a portion of the first bracket component
502 can be desirably attached to the door frame 504 and a desired
portion (e.g., overhanging portion 510) of the first bracket
component 502 can overhang or extend beyond the door frame 504 and
into the doorway so that the first bracket component 502 can be
employed, in part, as a door stop and door latching mechanism for
the door 508, which can be associated with (e.g., in the sliding
groove of, attached to a side of) the door frame 504, when the door
508 is being closed. That is, when the door 508 is being closed,
the door 508 can come in contact with the overhanging portion 510
of the first bracket component 502 and the first bracket component
502, including the overhanging portion 510, can stop the door 508
at that point.
[0069] In an aspect, the second bracket component 506 can be shaped
(e.g., substantially rectangular or square shaped with regard to
the main body of the second bracket component 506) and sized, as
desired, wherein there can be an extended portion 512 (e.g.,
tongue, tag), which can be desirably shaped and sized, that can
extend out from the main body of the second bracket component 506.
The extended portion 512 can be employed to facilitate stopping and
latching of the associated door 508, for example, when the extended
portion 512 comes in contact with a holder component 514, attached
to or inserted in a recessed area 516 of the first bracket
component 502. When the door 508 is closed, the holder component
514 can apply a desired amount of latching force on the extended
portion 512 to latch or hold the door in the closed position, which
can be a predefined locational position to facilitate operations
associated with the door 508 (e.g., locking the door 508,
sensor-related operations, etc.).
[0070] In still another aspect, the first bracket component 502,
including the overhanging portion 510, can function as a shock or
force absorber for an operation device 518 attached to the
overhanging portion 510 of the first bracket component 502. For
instance, the first bracket component 502, with the overhanging
portion 510 that overhangs beyond the door frame 504, can function
as a type of cantilever, wherein the material that forms the first
bracket component 502 can have at least some level of elasticity,
and when the door 508 impacts and is stopped by the overhanging
portion 510 of the first bracket component 502, the first bracket
component 502 can absorb at least a portion of the impact of the
door 508, which can reduce the amount of shock, vibration, or force
that is impacted on (e.g., transferred to) the operation device
518, or portion thereof, that is attached to the first bracket
component 502.
[0071] Turning briefly to FIG. 5B (along with FIG. 5A), illustrated
is an example system 550 that can employ a shock absorber
component, which can further reduce impact of a door on an
operation device 518 when the door is closed in accordance with an
embodiment of the disclosed subject matter. In this embodiment,
when desired, a shock absorber component 552, which can be
fabricated from a desired material(s) (e.g., polymer-based
material, such as rubber or plastic; felt; etc.) and can have a
desired thickness and shape (e.g., shape that corresponds to the
shape of the surface of the overhanging portion 510 with which the
shock absorber component 552 will be in contact and/or the shape of
the side of the operation device 518 with which the shock absorber
component 552 will be in contact), can be inserted between the
first bracket component 502 and the operation device 518 to provide
further shock or force absorption, beyond the shock absorption
provided by the first bracket component 502, in relation to the
operation device 518 to thereby further reduce the amount of shock,
vibration, or force impacted on the operation device 518 when the
door 508 impacts (e.g., comes in contact with) the overhanging
portion 510 of the first bracket component 502 when the door 508 is
being stopped by the first bracket component 502 when the door 508
is being latched to the desired predefined locational position for
the closed state.
[0072] FIG. 6 depicts a diagram of an example system 600 that can
facilitate monitoring integrity of the door latch/door stop system
to facilitate system security and maintenance in accordance with an
embodiment of the disclosed subject matter. In an aspect, the
system 600 can comprise a first bracket component 602, second
bracket component 604, extended portion 606, holder component 608,
recessed area 610, and screw guides 612 that each can comprise the
same or similar features (or a desired portion thereof), or same or
similar functionality (or a desired portion thereof), as respective
components such as more fully described herein, for example, with
regard to system 100, system 200, system 300, system 400, and
system 500.
[0073] In accordance with one aspect, the first bracket component
602 can be attached to a door frame (not shown) wherein there can
be an overhang portion 614 on the first bracket component 602 that
can overhang or extend beyond the door frame and into the doorway
formed by or within the door frame. The first bracket component 602
can comprise the recessed area 610 formed in a desired region
(e.g., at or near a corner) in the overhang portion 614 of the
first bracket component 602.
[0074] The second bracket component 604 can be attached to a door
(not shown) associated with the door frame. The second bracket
component 604 can have an extended portion 606 that can comprise a
holder component 608 (e.g., permanent magnet) that can be located
(e.g., attached) on the region of the extended portion 606 that
faces the recessed area 610 when the door is in the closed
position. The extended portion 606, and correspondingly the holder
component 608, of the second bracket component 604 can have a
desired shape and size in order to produce a desired force profile
to facilitate desired latching of the door in the closed position
by the holder component 608 and the extended portion 606.
Additionally or alternatively, the recessed area 610 can have the
shape and size of the region that is formed of a ferromagnetic
material formed to a desired shape and size in order to produce a
desired force profile. The position of the second bracket component
604 can be adjusted to thereby adjust the amount of overlap of the
holder component 608 on the recessed area 610 when the door is in
the desired predefined locational position (e.g., desired closed
position, wherein the holder component 608 is in contact with
and/or is applying the desired amount of latching force to the
recessed area 610 to hold the extended portion 606 (and holder
component 608) against the recessed area 610 and thereby hold the
door in the desired closed position).
[0075] In an embodiment, an operation device(s) 616 (e.g., lock
component, RFID sensor, magnetic card reader, biometric scanner,
etc.) can be attached to the first bracket component 602 with an
associated operation facilitator component 618 (e.g., lock
receptacle) attached to the second bracket component 604. The
operation device 616 can perform desired operations (e.g., locking
and/or monitoring and controlling access to the defined physical
area, controlling access to the defined physical area being secured
by the door, etc.) associated with the door and defined physical
area.
[0076] In accordance with an aspect, the system 600 also can
comprise a remote operation system 620 that can employ an operation
platform 622 to control and/or monitor operations associated with
the door (e.g., latching operations, lock operations, sensor
operations, etc.) and associated defined physical area, for
example. The operation platform 622 can include an operation
integrity component 624 that can monitor and sense conditions
associated with the first bracket component 602 and second bracket
component 604, the door and associated door frame, and/or the
operation device 616 attached to the first bracket component 602
and/or second bracket component 604 to facilitate securing the door
and associated defined physical area, as desired, and maintaining
desirable operation of the system 600.
[0077] In an embodiment, the operation integrity component 624 can
be associated with (e.g., electrically connected with and/or
communicatively connected with via a wired or wireless
communication connection) a sensor component 626 (e.g., magnetic
field sensor, which, for example, can be or can include a Reed
Switch or Hall-effect sensor) that can be associated with (e.g.,
connected to, implanted in) the recessed area 610 of the first
bracket component 602 and can sense the amount of magnetic field
applied to the recessed area 610 by the holder component 608, or at
least can sense a change in state (e.g., magnetized state,
unmagnetized state) on the recessed area 610, on a continuous
basis, periodic basis, or in response to a request (e.g., a request
from the remote operation system 620, for example, when such
request is received from a user). When the sensor component 626
senses or detects a particular condition (e.g., unlatched extended
portion 606, properly latched extended portion 606, improperly
latched extended portion 606), the sensor component 626 can
automatically generate and transmit a respective signal (e.g.,
unlatched signal, proper latch signal, defective latch signal) that
can correspond with the sensed condition, wherein the respective
signal can be received by the operation integrity component 624
and/or a local component associated with the door (e.g., door
status interface (not shown)). The respective signals (e.g.,
feedback signals) from the sensor component 626 can thereby serve
as a Magnetic Bond Sensor (MBS) output as well as a Door Status
Switch (DSS) for the door latch formed by the extended portion 606
(with the associated holder component 608) and recessed area
610.
[0078] For instance, when the door is in the open position in
relation to the door frame, the sensor component 626 can sense that
the amount of magnetic force applied to or experienced by the
recessed area 610 is low (e.g., at or near 0 N) and can transmit an
open or unlatched signal that indicates the door is not latched
(e.g., the recessed area 610 is not latched to the holder component
608) and is thus in an open state to the operation integrity
component 624. When the door is properly closed and latched, the
sensor component 626 can sense that the amount of magnetic force
applied to or experienced by the recessed area 610 is relatively
high (e.g., at or above the predefined minimum threshold latching
force level that indicates the recessed area 610 is desirably
latched to the holder component 608), and the sensor component 626,
can transmit a latched signal (e.g., proper latch signal), which
indicates the recessed area 610 is desirably latched to the holder
component 608 on the extended portion 606, to the operation
integrity component 624, and thus, the door is desirably latched in
the closed state. As desired, when the door is properly open or
closed, respectively, in relation to the door frame, a respective
visual indicator or audio indicator indicating proper operation
and/or current status of the door (e.g., door latching) also can be
provided, for example, by the local door status interface (in
response to a corresponding signal from the sensor component 626)
to let a user near the door know the current status of the door
latching.
[0079] In an aspect, when there is a latching problem between the
recessed area 610 and holder component 608 when the door is in the
closed position (e.g., door is misaligned in relation to the door
frame, the extended portion 606, and thus the holder component 608,
is misaligned in relation to the recessed area 610, etc.), the
sensor component 626 can sense that the force applied to or
experienced by the recessed area 610 from the holder component 608
does not meet the minimum threshold latching force level, which can
indicate a defective condition in the latching of the holder
component 608 on the recessed area 610. When the force does not
meet the minimum threshold latching force level (but, for example,
is above a predefined force level--below which indicates an open or
unlatched door), the sensor component 626 can transmit a latch
defect signal to the operation integrity component 624. In response
to the latch defect signal, the operation integrity component 624
can generate and transmit a defective latch indicator to the
operation device 616 or a desired local interface (e.g., door
status interface), wherein the operation device 616 and/or desired
local interface can produce a visual or an audio signal to let a
user know that the latching between the recessed area 610 and
holder component 608 is defective. The operation integrity
component 624 also can facilitate generating and providing a latch
defect ticket or token, which can be provided to a maintenance
system (not shown) or maintenance person to facilitate having the
latch defect checked out and rectified. Alternatively or
additionally, the latch defect signal can be communicated directly
or locally from the sensor component 626 to the door status
interface associated with or near the door and the door status
interface can broadcast a visual signal (e.g., flashing and/or
colored light indicative of latch defect) or an audio signal (e.g.,
beeping or other sound indicative of a latch defect) to let a user
near the door know of the latch defect.
[0080] The sensor component 626 can be useful, for example, when
the operation device 616 is a lock component with a lock pin,
wherein the lock component is attached to the first bracket
component 602 and the associated operation facilitator component
618, in this example, a lock receptacle, is attached to the second
bracket component 604, as, when the door latching is operating
properly, the sensor component 626 can sense the proper operation
of the door latching (e.g., can sense that the magnetic force on
the recessed area 610 at least meets the minimum threshold latching
force level) and thereby can indicate when the second bracket
component 604 and associated lock receptacle are in the desired
predefined locational position in relation to the lock pin
associated with the first bracket component 602, so that when the
lock pin is moved to the locked position, the lock pin can
successfully engage the hole in the lock receptacle to lock the
door.
[0081] Over time and/or for other reasons (e.g., abuse of the door
or door latching system), the door may become misaligned, and, as a
result, can cause misalignment of the extended portion 606 and/or
the holder component 608 in relation to the recessed area 610, and
also can cause misalignment of the lock pin in relation to the hole
in the lock receptacle, which can negatively affect operations
associated with the door (e.g., door is unable to be locked because
the lock pin is not able to engage the hole in the lock
receptacle). The misalignment of the extended portion 606 in
relation to the holder component 608 can result in a change in the
strength of the magnetic field applied by the holder component 608
on the recessed area 610 when the holder component 608 is being
latched to the recessed area 610 or an attempt is being made to
latch the holder component 608 to the recessed area 610. The sensor
component 626 can detect the force field strength (e.g., magnetic
field strength) at the recessed area 610 and can detect that the
force on the recessed area 610 does not at least meet the
predefined minimum threshold latching force, and can send feedback
relating to the detected force field strength (e.g., latch defect
signal, amount of force field strength), for example, to the
operation integrity component 624. The operation integrity
component 624 can analyze the feedback information from the sensor
component 626 and can identify that the force field strength has
changed to an undesirable level, and can determine that the door
and/or extended portion 606 is misaligned or at least is likely
misaligned, and a maintenance or defect ticket can be generated to
have a maintenance person check out the door and the door
latch/door stop system and correct any defect so that the system
operates properly. Further, the operation integrity component 624
can transmit a defective latch indicator to the operation device
616 or a desired local interface (e.g., door status interface)
associated therewith or in proximity thereto, wherein the operation
device 616 and/or desired local interface can produce a visual
signal or an audio signal to let a user know that the latching
between the extended portion 606 (with associated holder component
608) and recessed area 610 is defective.
[0082] In another aspect, the remote operation system 620 also can
facilitate controlling operations associated with the operation
device 616. For example, when the operation device 616 is a lock
component (e.g., employing a bi-stable latching solenoid), the
remote operation system 620 can control locking and unlocking of
the lock component, and thus, the associated door, to control
access to the defined physical area associated with the door. For
instance, the remote operation system 620 can monitor power
conditions associated with the operation device 616, and can employ
a sensor that can detect when a power off condition is impending
with regard to the operation device 616 (e.g., impending loss of
power to the operation device 616, undesirable power fluctuations
in power supplied to the operation device 616), and can place or
transition the operation device 616 into a desired operating state
(e.g., locked position) in response to the detected power off
condition, and/or can perform other desired operations, as are more
fully disclosed in related co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 12/789,989.
[0083] In an aspect, the remote operation system 620 can employ a
processor component 628 that that can work in conjunction with the
other components (e.g., operation platform 622, operation integrity
component 624, etc.) to facilitate performing the various functions
of the remote operation system 620. The processor component 620 can
employ one or more processors, microprocessors, or controllers that
can process data, such as information relating to received feedback
information (e.g., respective signals indicative of door latching
status, current state of the door, operation status of an operation
device 616, etc.), information relating to operations of the remote
operation system 620, and/or other information, etc., to facilitate
operation of the remote operation system 620, operation related to
latching or securing the door and the associated defined physical
area, and operation of system 600 overall; and can control data
flow between the remote operation system 620 and other components
(e.g., sensor component 626, door status interface, operation
device, etc.) that are or can be associated with the remote
operation system 620.
[0084] The remote operation system 620 also can include a data
store 630 that can store data structures (e.g., user data,
metadata); code structure(s) (e.g., modules, objects, classes,
procedures) or instructions; information relating to latching
conditions between the holder component 608 and the recessed area
610, operating conditions or operating state of the operation
device 616, predefined operation criteria, predefined minimum
threshold latching force, predefined magnetic force level (e.g., at
or near 0 N) at or below which indicates an unlatched state, etc.,
to facilitate controlling operations associated with the remote
operation system 620, etc. In an aspect, the processor component
628 can be functionally coupled (e.g., through a memory bus) to the
data store 630 in order to store and retrieve information desired
to operate and/or confer functionality, at least in part, to the
operation platform 622, operation integrity component 626, and/or
substantially any other operational aspects of the remote operation
system 620. For instance, in accordance with various embodiments,
the systems (e.g., operating environment, sample computing
environment) disclosed herein with regard to FIGS. 12 and 13 can be
employed to facilitate operations associated with system 600.
[0085] It is to be appreciated and understood that, while, depicted
in FIG. 6 and described herein, the holder component 608 is
attached to the extended portion 606 and the sensor component 626
is associated with the recessed area 610, the subject specification
is not so limited, as in accordance with another embodiment, the
holder component 608 can be associated with (e.g., attached to) the
recessed area 610 (e.g., as depicted in FIG. 1) and the sensor
component 626 can be attached to the extended portion 606, wherein
the respective components can function substantially as otherwise
described herein.
[0086] FIGS. 7-11 illustrate methodologies and/or flow diagrams in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter. For simplicity of
explanation, the methodologies are depicted and described as a
series of acts. It is to be understood and appreciated that the
subject innovation is not limited by the acts illustrated and/or by
the order of acts, for example acts can occur in various orders
and/or concurrently, and with other acts not presented and
described herein. Furthermore, not all illustrated acts may be
required to implement the methodologies in accordance with the
disclosed subject matter. In addition, those skilled in the art
will understand and appreciate that the methodologies could
alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states via
a state diagram or events. Additionally, it should be further
appreciated that the methodologies disclosed hereinafter (or at
least portions thereof) and throughout this specification are
capable of being stored on an article of manufacture to facilitate
transporting and transferring such methodologies to computers or
other processing devices. The term article of manufacture, as used
herein, can encompass a computer program accessible from any
computer-readable device, carrier, or media.
[0087] Now referring to FIG. 7, illustrated is an example
methodology 700 that can facilitate efficient latching of a door in
accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the disclosed
subject matter. At 702, an amount of overlap of an extended portion
of a second bracket component on a surface of a holder component
associated with a first bracket component can be controlled to
obtain a desired amount of latching force between the extended
portion and the holder component to hold a door associated with one
of the extended portion or the holder component in a predefined
locational position in relation to an associated door frame when
the door is in the closed position. In an embodiment, the first
bracket component can be attached to the door frame and the second
bracket component can be attached to a door, wherein the overlap of
the extended portion of the second bracket component on a holder
component can be adjusted to facilitate correspondingly adjusting
the amount of latching force between the extended portion and
holder component in accordance with a force profile associated with
the extended portion. At 704, the desired amount of latching force
(e.g., magnetic force) can be applied by the holder component to
the extended portion to hold the extended portion and the
associated door in the predefined locational position when the
extended portion is placed in the latched or closed position.
[0088] FIG. 8 depicts an example methodology 800 that can
facilitate stopping and latching of a door in accordance with an
aspect of the disclosed subject matter. At 802, a door can be
stopped by, in part, coming in contact with an overhang portion of
a first bracket component associated with a door frame when the
door is being moved from an open position to a closed position in
relation to the door frame.
[0089] At 804, a force can be applied to an extended portion of a
second bracket component associated with the door to latch the
extended portion and associated door in a predefined locational
position, wherein the force can be based at least in part on an
amount of overlap of the extended portion on a surface of a holder
component associated with the first bracket component and the shape
of the extended portion.
[0090] At 806, a desired operation associated with an operation
device, which can be associated with at least one of the first
bracket component or the second bracket component, can be
performed. For instance, when the operation device is a lock
component (e.g., electromagnetic lock comprising a bi-stable
latching solenoid), and the extended portion and associated door
are in the predefined locational position in relation to the door
frame, which can occur when the extended portion is properly
latched to the holder component, the lock pin of the lock
component, which can be attached to the overhanging portion of the
first bracket component, can be placed in a locked position by
engaging a hole in a lock receptacle, which can be attached to the
second bracket component to place the door in a locked state.
[0091] FIG. 9 illustrates an example methodology 900 for
fabricating a door stop/door latch in accordance with an aspect of
the disclosed subject matter. At 902, a first bracket component can
be formed, wherein the first bracket component can comprise at
least one recessed area at or near one or more corners of the first
bracket component. If and when the first bracket component is
attached to, for example, a door frame, the at least one recessed
area can be located at or near a corner(s) that will be part of the
overhang portion of the first bracket component that will be
overhanging or extending outward beyond the door frame and into the
doorway.
[0092] At 904, at least one holder component can be inserted into
the at least one recessed area. The at least one holder component
can be, for example, a permanent magnet that can produce and apply
at least a desired amount of force to the extended portion to
desirably latch and hold the extended portion and thereby the
associated door in a closed position (e.g., predefined locational
position) in relation to the door frame (e.g., can apply the
desired amount of force, or can produce more than the desired
amount of force wherein the amount of force ultimately applied to
the extended portion can be controlled based at least in part on
the shape of the extended portion and the amount of overlap of the
extended portion on the holder component).
[0093] At 906, the second bracket component can be formed with an
extended portion (e.g., tongue, tag) that can have a desired shape
and size to facilitate producing a desired force profile. At 908,
the position of the second bracket component can be adjusted in
relation to the first bracket component to position the extended
portion to have a desired amount of overlap on the holder component
to facilitate enabling the holder component to apply the desired
amount of latching force on the extended portion to latch or hold
the extended portion in a predefined locational position in
accordance with the force profile (e.g., force profile that is
based at least in part on the shape and size of the extended
portion) when the door is being placed in the closed position. At
this point, methodology 900 can end and/or proceed to reference
point A, wherein, as desired, methodology 1000 can proceed from
reference point A, as more fully disclosed herein.
[0094] Referring to FIG. 10, illustrated is an example methodology
1000 that can facilitate construction of a door stop/door latch in
accordance with an aspect of the disclosed subject matter. As
desired, Methodology 1000 can proceed from reference point A,
wherein methodology 900 ended. At 1002, the first bracket component
can be attached to a door frame such that the overhang portion of
the first bracket component overhangs or extends out from the door
frame into the door way.
[0095] At 1004, a first component of an operation device can be
attached to the first bracket component. In an aspect, the
operation device can be a lock (e.g., electromagnetic lock), and/or
sensor (e.g., RFID sensor, magnetic card reader, biometric scanner,
movement sensor, etc.), wherein the first component can be, for
example, a solenoid actuator (e.g., bi-stable solenoid actuator)
when the operation device is a lock or a sensing portion of a
sensor. In an embodiment, as desired, a shock absorber component
can be inserted in between the overhang portion of the first
bracket component and the first component of the operation device
to further reduce the impact (e.g., shock, vibration) on the first
component of the operation device, beyond the shock or impact
absorption that is already provided by the first bracket component,
when the door impacts the overhang portion, wherein the overhang
portion can act as a door stop, when the door is moved from the
open position to the closed position.
[0096] At 1006, the second bracket component can be attached to the
door at the desired adjusted position for the extended portion of
the second bracket component. In an aspect, the position of the
extended portion of the second bracket component can be adjusted in
relation to the position of the holder component associated with
the first bracket component to facilitate achieving a desired
amount of latching force in accordance with the force profile
associated with the extended portion.
[0097] At 1008, a second component of the operation device can be
attached to the second bracket component such that the extended
portion is in the desired adjusted position in relation to the
holder component and the second component is in a desired location
in relation to the first component of the operation component
attached to the first bracket component. In an aspect, the second
component of the operation device can be attached to the second
bracket component and the door, for example, by using screws that
can be inserted in screw holes in the second component through
adjustable screw guides in the second bracket component and into
screw holes on the door, wherein the screws can be tightened to
attach and hold the second component and second bracket component
in the desired adjusted position in relation to each other and the
holder component such that a desired amount of latching force can
be applied to the extended portion when the door is in the closed
position and, when the door is latched, the second component can be
in a desired predefined locational position in relation to the
first component of the operation device to facilitate proper
operation of the operation device (e.g., so the lock pin of the
first component (e.g., electromagnetic lock) can engage the hole in
the second component (e.g., lock receptacle)).
[0098] It is to be appreciated and understood that, while the
methodologies disclosed herein primarily describe the holder
component as being associated with the recessed area of the second
bracket component and applying a force to the extended portion to
hold the extended portion of the first bracket component during
latching, the subject specification is not so limited, as in
accordance with various embodiments, the holder component can be
associated with (e.g., attached to) the extended portion and can
apply a desired force to latch to the recessed area (or another
component attached thereto or formed thereon) of the second bracket
component (e.g., as described with regard to methodology 1100),
wherein the respective components can function substantially as
otherwise described herein.
[0099] Turning to FIG. 11, depicted is an example methodology 1100
that can monitor and detect operating conditions associated with a
door in accordance with an aspect of the disclosed subject matter.
At 1102, operating conditions associated with a door can be
monitored. In an aspect, a first bracket component can be attached
to a door frame such that an overhang portion of the first bracket
component can extend out beyond the door frame and into the doorway
to act as a door stop and part of a door latch. The first bracket
component can comprise a recessed area (e.g., formed of, or having
attached thereto, a ferromagnetic material(s)) to form part of the
door stop/door latching system. A second bracket component can be
attached to the door, associated with the door frame, and can
comprise an extended portion that can have a holder component
(e.g., permanent magnet) wherein the extended portion, or at least
the holder component, can have a desired size and shape to achieve
a desired force profile. The recessed area (or another component
formed thereon or attached thereto) can be attracted to the
magnetic force produced by the holder component to facilitate
latching the door. The second bracket component can be desirably
adjusted and attached to the door so that there is a desired amount
of overlap of the holder component on the recessed area (or another
component attached thereto or formed thereon), and correspondingly,
a desired amount of latching force applied by the holder component
on the recessed area (or another component attached thereto or
formed thereon), when the door is in the closed position, wherein
the holder component can be in contact with the recessed area (or
another component attached thereto or formed thereon) to latch the
door closed. In another aspect, the recessed can have a sensor
component (e.g., MBS) that can be attached thereto or inserted
therein, and can sense whether the recessed area (or another
component attached thereto or formed thereon) is magnetized or not,
and/or an amount of latching force (e.g., magnetic force) applied
to or experienced by the recessed area (or another component
attached thereto or formed thereon) to facilitate determining
whether the door is properly latched (e.g., whether the extended
portion (with the holder component) is properly latched to the
recessed area).
[0100] At 1104, a determination can be made regarding whether a
latching force is detected. In an aspect, the sensor component can
detect whether there is a latching force being applied to the
recessed area (or another component attached thereto or formed
thereon) by the holder component. For instance, the sensor
component can detect whether the recessed area (and/or another
component formed thereon or attached thereto) is magnetized or not
magnetized.
[0101] If it is determined that there is no latching force
detected, at 1106, the door latch associated with the door can be
identified as being in an open state. If no latching force is
detected by the sensor component, the sensor component can transmit
an open or unlatched signal to the remote operation system and/or
another component), and the remote operation system and/or another
component (e.g., local operation system or door status interface)
associated with the sensor component can identify the door latch as
being in the opened state, that is, can identify the holder
component as not being latched to the recessed area.
[0102] If, at 1104, it is determined that there is a latching force
detected, at 1108, a determination can be made regarding whether
the latching force meets a predefined minimum threshold latching
force level. In an aspect, the sensor component can measure or
identify the amount of latching force being applied to the recessed
area (or another component attached thereto or formed thereon) by
the holder component or can provide information that can facilitate
measuring or identifying the amount of latching force being applied
to the recessed area (or another component attached thereto or
formed thereon) by the holder component, wherein the sensor
component can transmit a signal or message comprising such
information. The amount of latching force can be evaluated in
relation to the predefined minimum threshold latching force level
(e.g., compared to the predefined minimum threshold latching force
level) to determine whether the amount of latching force is at or
higher than the predefined minimum threshold latching force level,
wherein a latching force amount that is at or greater than the
predefined minimum threshold latching force level can indicate that
the door latch is properly latched, and/or can thereby indicate
that the operation device associated with the door is in the
desired predefined locational position for proper operation.
[0103] If it is determined that the amount of latching force at
least meets the predefined minimum threshold latching force level,
at 1110, the door latch can be identified as being properly
latched. As desired, the associated operation device can perform
any desired operations (e.g., when the operation device is a lock
component, the lock pin can be inserted in the hole in the lock
receptacle to lock the door).
[0104] If, at 1108, it is determined that the amount of latching
force is below the predefined minimum threshold latching force
level, at 1112, the door latching can be identified as defective.
At 1114, at least one of a visual indicator or an audio indicator
can be presented. In an aspect, a visual indicator or an audio
indicator, which indicates that the door latch is defective can be
presented locally via an interface(s) associated with the door
(e.g., at or near the location of the door and/or associated
defined physical area) and/or remotely via an interface(s)
associated with the remote operation system. At 1116, a defect
ticket can be generated in response to the identified door latching
defect. In an aspect, a defect ticket relating to and identifying
the defect in the door latching can be generated and, for example,
can be provided to a maintenance person so that the maintenance
person can examine and/or repair the door latch (e.g., adjust the
position of the extended portion in relation to the holder
component, replace a component of the door stop/door latch system,
etc.).
[0105] For purposes of simplicity of explanation, methodologies
that can be implemented in accordance with the disclosed subject
matter were shown and described as a series of blocks. However, it
is to be understood and appreciated that the disclosed subject
matter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks
can occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks
from what is depicted and described herein. Moreover, not all
illustrated blocks can be required to implement the methodologies
described hereinafter. Additionally, it should be further
appreciated that the methodologies, or at least portions thereof,
disclosed throughout this specification are capable of being stored
on an article of manufacture to facilitate transporting and
transferring such methodologies to computers. The term article of
manufacture, as used, can encompass a computer program accessible
from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media.
[0106] In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the
disclosed subject matter, FIGS. 12 and 13 as well as the following
discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of
a suitable environment in which the various aspects of the
disclosed subject matter can or may be implemented. While the
subject matter has been described above in the general context of
computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on
a computer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will
recognize that the subject innovation also may be implemented in
combination with other program modules. Generally, program modules
include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that
perform particular tasks and/or implement particular abstract data
types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
inventive methods may be practiced with other computer system
configurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor
computer systems, mini-computing devices, mainframe computers, as
well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g.,
personal digital assistant (PDA), phone, watch),
microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrial
electronics, and the like. The illustrated aspects may also be
practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are
performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a
communications network. However, some, if not all aspects of the
claimed innovation can be practiced on stand-alone computers. In a
distributed computing environment, program modules may be located
in both local and remote memory storage devices.
[0107] With reference to FIG. 12, a suitable environment 1200 for
implementing various aspects of the claimed subject matter includes
a computer 1212. The computer 1212 includes a processing unit 1214,
a system memory 1216, and a system bus 1218. The system bus 1218
couples system components including, but not limited to, the system
memory 1216 to the processing unit 1214. The processing unit 1214
can be any of various available processors. Dual microprocessors
and other multiprocessor architectures also can be employed as the
processing unit 1214.
[0108] The system bus 1218 can be any of several types of bus
structure(s) including the memory bus or memory controller, a
peripheral bus or external bus, and/or a local bus using any
variety of available bus architectures including, but not limited
to, Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA), Micro-Channel
Architecture (MSA), Extended ISA (EISA), Intelligent Drive
Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB), Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI), Card Bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Advanced
Graphics Port (AGP), Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association bus (PCMCIA), Firewire (IEEE 1394), and Small Computer
Systems Interface (SCSI).
[0109] The system memory 1216 includes volatile memory 1220 and
nonvolatile memory 1222. The basic input/output system (BIOS),
containing the basic routines to transfer information between
elements within the computer 1212, such as during start-up, is
stored in nonvolatile memory 1222. By way of illustration, and not
limitation, nonvolatile memory 1222 can include read only memory
(ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM
(EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash
memory. Volatile memory 1220 includes random access memory (RAM),
which acts as external cache memory. By way of illustration and not
limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as static RAM
(SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data
rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM
(SLDRAM), Rambus direct RAM (RDRAM), direct Rambus dynamic RAM
(DRDRAM), and Rambus dynamic RAM (RDRAM).
[0110] Computer 1212 also includes removable/non-removable,
volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. FIG. 12 illustrates,
for example, a disk storage 1224. Disk storage 1224 includes, but
is not limited to, devices like a magnetic disk drive, floppy disk
drive, tape drive, Jaz drive, Zip drive, LS-100 drive, flash memory
card, or memory stick. In addition, disk storage 1224 can include
storage media separately or in combination with other storage media
including, but not limited to, an optical disk drive such as a
compact disk ROM device (CD-ROM), CD recordable drive (CD-R Drive),
CD rewritable drive (CD-RW Drive) or a digital versatile disk ROM
drive (DVD-ROM). To facilitate connection of the disk storage
devices 1224 to the system bus 1218, a removable or non-removable
interface is typically used, such as interface 1226.
[0111] It is to be appreciated that FIG. 12 describes software that
acts as an intermediary between users and the basic computer
resources described in the suitable operating environment 1200.
Such software includes an operating system 1228. Operating system
1228, which can be stored on disk storage 1224, acts to control and
allocate resources of the computer system 1212. System applications
1230 take advantage of the management of resources by operating
system 1228 through program modules 1232 and program data 1234
stored either in system memory 1216 or on disk storage 1224. It is
to be appreciated that the claimed subject matter can be
implemented with various operating systems or combinations of
operating systems.
[0112] A user enters commands or information into the computer 1212
through input device(s) 1236. Input devices 1236 include, but are
not limited to, a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball,
stylus, touch pad, keyboard, microphone, joystick, game pad,
satellite dish, scanner, TV tuner card, digital camera, digital
video camera, web camera, and the like. These and other input
devices connect to the processing unit 1214 through the system bus
1218 via interface port(s) 1238. Interface port(s) 1238 include,
for example, a serial port, a parallel port, a game port, and a
universal serial bus (USB). Output device(s) 1240 use some of the
same type of ports as input device(s) 1236. Thus, for example, a
USB port may be used to provide input to computer 1212, and to
output information from computer 1212 to an output device 1240.
Output adapter 1242 is provided to illustrate that there are some
output devices 1240 like monitors, speakers, and printers, among
other output devices 1240, which require special adapters. The
output adapters 1242 include, by way of illustration and not
limitation, video and sound cards that provide a means of
connection between the output device 1240 and the system bus 1218.
It should be noted that other devices and/or systems of devices
provide both input and output capabilities such as remote
computer(s) 1244.
[0113] Computer 1212 can operate in a networked environment using
logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as remote
computer(s) 1244. The remote computer(s) 1244 can be a personal
computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a workstation, a
microprocessor based appliance, a peer device or other common
network node and the like, and typically includes many or all of
the elements described relative to computer 1212. For purposes of
brevity, only a memory storage device 1246 is illustrated with
remote computer(s) 1244. Remote computer(s) 1244 is logically
connected to computer 1212 through a network interface 1248 and
then physically connected via communication connection 1250.
Network interface 1248 encompasses wire and/or wireless
communication networks such as local-area networks (LAN) and
wide-area networks (WAN). LAN technologies include Fiber
Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Copper Distributed Data
Interface (CDDI), Ethernet, Token Ring and the like. WAN
technologies include, but are not limited to, point-to-point links,
circuit switching networks like Integrated Services Digital
Networks (ISDN) and variations thereon, packet switching networks,
and Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL).
[0114] Communication connection(s) 1250 refers to the
hardware/software employed to connect the network interface 1248 to
the bus 1218. While communication connection 1250 is shown for
illustrative clarity inside computer 1212, it can also be external
to computer 1212. The hardware/software necessary for connection to
the network interface 1248 includes, for exemplary purposes only,
internal and external technologies such as, modems including
regular telephone grade modems, cable modems and DSL modems, ISDN
adapters, and Ethernet cards.
[0115] FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a sample-computing
environment 1300 with which the subject innovation can interact.
The system 1300 includes one or more client(s) 1310. The client(s)
1310 can be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes,
computing devices). The system 1300 also includes one or more
server(s) 1330. Thus, system 1300 can correspond to a two-tier
client server model or a multi-tier model (e.g., client, middle
tier server, data server), amongst other models. The server(s) 1330
can also be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes,
computing devices). The servers 1330 can house threads to perform
transformations by employing the subject innovation, for example.
One possible communication between a client 1310 and a server 1330
may be in the form of a data packet transmitted between two or more
computer processes.
[0116] The system 1300 includes a communication framework 1350 that
can be employed to facilitate communications between the client(s)
1310 and the server(s) 1330. The client(s) 1310 are operatively
connected to one or more client data store(s) 1320 that can be
employed to store information local to the client(s) 1310.
Similarly, the server(s) 1330 are operatively connected to one or
more server data store(s) 1340 that can be employed to store
information local to the servers 1330.
[0117] Generally, program modules include routines, programs,
components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or
implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled
in the art will appreciate that the inventive methods can be
practiced with other computer system configurations, including
single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers,
mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held
computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer
electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled
to one or more associated devices.
[0118] A computer typically includes a variety of computer-readable
media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can
be accessed by the computer and includes both volatile and
nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of
example, and not limitation, computer-readable media can comprise
computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage
media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and
non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for
storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data
structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media
includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or
other memory technology, CD-ROM; digital versatile disk (DVD) or
other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,
magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any
other medium which can be used to store the desired information and
which can be accessed by the computer.
[0119] Communication media typically embody computer-readable
instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a
modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport
mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. By way of
example, and not limitation, communication media include wired
media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and
wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless
media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included
within the scope of computer-readable media.
[0120] The aforementioned systems have been described with respect
to interaction among several components. It should be appreciated
that such systems and components can include those components or
sub-components specified therein, some of the specified components
or sub-components, and/or additional components. Sub-components can
also be implemented as components communicatively coupled to other
components rather than included within parent components.
Additionally, it should be noted that one or more components could
be combined into a single component providing aggregate
functionality. The components could also interact with one or more
other components not specifically described herein but known by
those of skill in the art.
[0121] It is to be appreciated and understood that components
(e.g., first bracket component, second bracket component, extended
portion, holder component, operation device, etc.), as described
with regard to a particular system or methodology, can include the
same or similar functionality as respective components (e.g.,
respectively named components) as described with regard to other
systems or methodologies disclosed herein.
[0122] Furthermore, the disclosed subject matter can be implemented
as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard
programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software,
firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof to control a
computer to implement the disclosed subject matter. The term
"article of manufacture" as used herein is intended to encompass a
computer program accessible from any computer-readable device,
carrier, or media. For example, computer readable media can include
but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk,
floppy disk, magnetic strips . . . ), optical disks (e.g., compact
disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD) . . . ), smart cards, and
flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive . . . ).
Additionally it should be appreciated that a carrier wave can be
employed to carry computer-readable electronic data such as those
used in transmitting and receiving electronic mail or in accessing
a network such as the Internet or a local area network (LAN). Of
course, those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications
can be made to this configuration without departing from the scope
or spirit of the disclosed subject matter.
[0123] Some portions of the detailed description have been
presented in terms of algorithms and/or symbolic representations of
operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic
descriptions and/or representations are the means employed by those
cognizant in the art to most effectively convey the substance of
their work to others equally skilled. An algorithm is here,
generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of acts
leading to a desired result. The acts are those requiring physical
manipulations of physical quantities. Typically, though not
necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical and/or
magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined,
compared, and/or otherwise manipulated.
[0124] It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons
of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values,
elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. It
should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar
terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities
and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities.
Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the foregoing
discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the disclosed subject
matter, discussions utilizing terms such as processing, computing,
calculating, determining, and/or displaying, and the like, refer to
the action and processes of computer systems, and/or similar
consumer and/or industrial electronic devices and/or machines, that
manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical
(electrical and/or electronic) quantities within the computer's
and/or machine's registers and memories into other data similarly
represented as physical quantities within the machine and/or
computer system memories or registers or other such information
storage, transmission and/or display devices.
[0125] In the subject specification, terms such as "data store,"
"storage," and substantially any other information storage
component relevant to operation and functionality of a component,
refer to "memory components," or entities embodied in a "memory" or
components comprising the memory. For example, information relevant
to operation of various components described in the disclosed
subject matter, and that can be stored in a memory, can comprise,
but is not limited to comprising, information relating to operation
of the lock component, programming information, information
relating to authentication and authorization to access the lock
component, etc. It will be appreciated that the memory components
described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile
memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. By way
of illustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory can include
read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically
programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), phase
change memory (PCM), flash memory, or nonvolatile RAM (e.g.,
ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM). Volatile memory can include random
access memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By way of
illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms
such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous
DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM
(ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM).
Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methods
herein are intended to comprise, without being limited to
comprising, these and any other suitable types of memory.
[0126] Further, as used in this application, the term "or" is
intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or".
That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, "X
employs A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive
permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs
both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied under any of the
foregoing instances. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used
in this application and the appended claims should generally be
construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear
from context to be directed to a singular form.
[0127] What has been described above includes examples of the
subject specification. It is, of course, not possible to describe
every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for
purposes of describing the subject specification, but one of
ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further
combinations and permutations of the subject specification are
possible. Accordingly, the subject specification is intended to
embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that
fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Furthermore, to the extent that the term "includes" is used in
either the detailed description or the claims, such term is
intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term
"comprising" as "comprising" is interpreted when employed as a
transitional word in a claim.
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